International Affairs
by GoesKaboom
Summary: Due to some unforeseen circumstances, Kanou takes Ayase on a business trip to America. At first, everything goes well, but as the best laid plans often go awry, he must end up confronting things he would rather have left behind in the past. Now completed
1. Chapter 1

International Affairs

**Note: You know, it gets quite tiring to create clever disclaimers every time I start a new story... don't own. **

**Warnings: Explicit sexual content, language, graphic violence later. **

Chapter One

A very irritated Somuku Kanou slammed down the telephone receiver. Of all the times that person would call him out to New York, it had to be the _one_ week that the Kuba brothers were on business in Hokkaido, which meant that there was no way he could leave Ayase in Japan. Briefly, he considered asking Someya if Ayase could stay with her, but quickly nixed that idea. That was almost more dangerous than leaving Ayase alone. No, there was only one thing he could do.

So he picked up the telephone again and hit the "redial" button. "Fine. I'll go. But I'm bringing someone with me."

* * *

"Eeeh?" Ayase cried. "Go to America? But I don't a passport..." Kanou tossed a small black booklet to the blonde, who deftly caught it.

"Good catch. And I've already taken care of those preparations," he replied calmly. "That's your passport. We've got plane tickets already. The flight leaves tomorrow morning at 10:00. I would suggest that you pack tonight."

"Yes..." Ayase mumbled. He had gotten to experience many new things since he had come to live with the older man, but a trip to America? That was too much! How much would this add to his debt? What was he being taken to America for in the first place? Suddenly, he was struck by abject terror. What if the reason Kanou was taking him out of Japan was to sell him off? It would make sense- with a growing sense of fear, he remembered a television news special on human trafficking in the Americas, although it had mainly focused on women. But what if he was to end up like those women the network had shown in the brothels there? Or what if Kanou intended to use him as a bargaining chip on the business table? What if he would be given as a gift to some perverted old businessman in exchange for a contract or something? What if Kanou had gotten tired of him and intended to just trade him in?

Kanout must have been able to know what Ayase was thinking. "You don't need to worry," he said. "This fucking colleague of mine managed to get herself into a bit of trouble. I have to go bail her out since she helped me a few years ago." Ayase visibly relaxed, but still was confused.

"Why? Why do I need to go?" he asked.

"Misao and Homare are away, and I'm not about to leave you here alone!" Kanou exclaimed. "Who knows what would happen? Go pack, and then get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for you."

* * *

Despite himself, Ayase realized he was getting rather excited. He'd never been out of Japan before, and now he was going to one of the most exciting cities on Earth! While he doubted Kanou would allow him to see much of it (at least alone), it was still exciting! By this time, he had been reassured that the businessman did not intend to sell him, and was only taking him overseas for his own protection.

He was so busy folding clothes and packing them in the suitcase that he didn't notice Kanou sneak up behind him. He squeaked as two strong arms encircled his waist. "K-kanou-san!"

"You looked so cute packing like that, I couldn't help myself," he whispered against the blonde's ear, hands dipping below his waistband. Ayase's eyelids fluttered close and Kanou's hands gently stroked the skin of his lower belly.

"K-kanou-san... I-I need to pack," he stammered. Kanou ignored him, and soon enough, he was devoid of pants, and the larger man was stroking his length to hardness. "T-the luggage!" Ayase gasped, still trying to pack despite Kanou's advances.

"The luggage can wait," Kanou replied.

"P-please stop!" Ayase cried. "I-I'm going... I'm... aaahn!" he cried out as he came all over Kanou's hand.

"No matter how many times we do this, you're still so sensitive," the businessman smirked. He groped around on the nightstand for the tube of lubricant he kept there, while he pushed Ayase down gently onto his back. After a little while, his fingers closed around the tube, and he coated three fingers with a generous amount of the strawberry-scented goo, and slipped his index finger inside of Ayase, who mewled and shuddered. He couldn't help but chuckle a little- Ayase was adorable, and he only got cuter every time they made love. He added the second finger, and scissored them, to prepare the small blonde for his penetration.

"Ngyaaah! Kanou-san!" Ayase screamed when Kanou's finger struck his prostate. Kanous added the third finger, and then reached around with his free hand to tweak Ayase's nipples through his shirt, earning more little sounds from him. When he deemed Ayase ready, he withdrew his fingers and coated his cock with the lubricant.

"Try to relacx." he breathed against Ayase's ear before sliding himself inside. Ayase squeaked in discomfort- no matter how many times he slept with Kanou, he still couldn't get used to the size of the other man's length.

"It'll get better," Kanou tried to reassure him, his hand going to tease Ayase's erection.

Soon enough, Ayase began to relax and making slight little pleasured sounds, which Kanou took as a sign of Ayase's preparedness. He withdrew himself almost completely before thrusting back in. By this time, he had come to know the ins and outs of Ayase's body very well, and he managed to hit Ayase's sweet spot every time. Ayase squeaked, cried out, moaned, and made all manner of delicious little noises every time Kanou thrusted.

The double stimulation of Kanou's hand on his cock and the larger man's erection moving in and out of his body got to be overwhelming, and Ayase reached orgasm for the second time that night. His insides spasming around Kanou's length pushed the man over the edge, and he came inside Ayase.

"The...luggage..." Ayase finally managed to gasp. "I-I never finished packing..."

"Go take a shower," Kanou ordered. "I'll finish packing for you." Ayase hurried off to wash up, and Kanou took a look at the blonde's luggage. "Hmph..." he snorted. "He's going to need more pairs of boxers than that!" Kanou busied himself taking out Ayase's carefully prepared packing. Nothing that he packed was cute enough! Sometimes Kanou wondered if the small blonde ever looked in a mirror- if he did, he would know by now that baggy, oversized garments did not suit him at all. Unfortunately, left to his own devices, that was all that Ayase would ever wear, and that was entirely what he had packed for this little trip. This just wouldn't do. No, Kanou was going to have to start from scratch.

To Be Continued

Author's Comments-

I actually came up with the idea for this nearly a year ago, however, I have gone through about six drafts before I finally found one that I liked enough to publish. Still, I'm rather fond of this concept and hope that I will be able to do it justice, especially since it's pretty rare that I write something even remotely romantic that isn't meant to be complete crack.

Thanks for reading!

-Kaboom


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Ayase, hurry!" Kanou called. "The plane leaves in ten minutes!"

"I-I'm sorry. I'm... coming," Ayase panted. The two of them had been having a rough morning. First, they'd gotten stuck in traffic. Then, getting checked in took quite a bit longer than it should have because the computer crashed. Then, someone ahead of them in security had gotten busted for trying to take fingernail clippers on a plane. Of course, he had held up the line for about forty-five minuets. By the time Kanou and Ayase had gotten through, they were running very late.

Finally, the two of them managed to reach the gate, handed over their boarding passes, and shuffled onto the plan, taking their seats in first class.

Ayase was amazed at the roominess of the seats. Each passenger had a little cubicle with a seat that flattened out 180 degrees into a bed, a private television screen, and some curtains that could be drawn to give the occupant some privacy. He thought about how nice it must be to take a nap in a seat that could actually become a bed.

Kanou was impressed by the accommodations as well, but for different reasons. He took in the curtains and flatten-able seats, and started planning. He usually hated flying because of how boring it could be, but somehow he thought that this time, it might not be so bad...

Soon enough, they took off, and Ayase busied himself trying to decide what in-flight movie to watch. Most of the choices were American movies he'd never heard of dubbed into Japanese. He finally decided on Pirate Radio and settled in to watch it.

After a while, Kanou set down the book he had brought with him and turned to watch Ayase, who was thouroughly egrossed in his movie. He had to chuckle a little- Ayase was so adorable. But he would wait. Well, at least until the captain turned off the seat belt sign.

Soon enough, they had reached the cruising altitude, and Kanou decided to take advantage of the situation. He crept over to Ayase's seat, where the blonde was innocently watching his movie. An elderly American woman shot him a rather suspicious glance when she noticed him, but didn't say anything. Kanou just shook off the minor distraction and drew the curtains around the seat, beginning to massage Ayase's shoulders. He let out a soft gasp, and removed the headphones from his ears.

"K-kanou-san," he stammered. "W-what are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" the larger man replied, continuing his ministrations. "I read in the newspaper that it is dangerous if you sit too stiffly on an airplane. You might get blood clots." He leaned down to nip at Ayase's earlobe, and the blonde struggled to keep from moaning.

"T-that only h-happens with your legs," he managed to get out. He was about to go into more detail regarding the matter when he felt Kanou's hands move lower, stopping to tease the hardening buds on his chest through his shirt.

"Well then," Kanou said, his smirk nearly audible in his voice. "We will just have to make sure that there's no chance of that, won't we?" He deftly unbuttoned Ayase's pants and pulled them down, exposing the blonde's pale pink boxers. He teased Ayase through the cloth, relishing in the soft gasps and moans dropping from the smaller man's lips. He could tell that Ayase was trying his hardest not to make any sounds, and his idea was confirmed when he gave a gentle tug to Ayase's burgeoning erection.

"Please," he begged. "Don't... not here. Someone might... hear!"

"I've told you before," Kanou replied smoothly. "I love it when you try to keep your voice down." As if to punctuate his statement, he pulled down the undergarments, and then converted the seat to its 180 degree format. Gently, he pushed Ayase down and spread his legs.

"Please no... not on the plane!" Ayase whimpered. Kanou responded by pressing a kiss to the small man's tip. Ayase bit back a moan. Kanou wasn't pleased- he liked it when Ayase tried to keep his voice back, but not so much when he actually succeeded. So in response, he took Ayase's entire length into his mouth, relaxing his throat so that he could take in _all_ of the blonde. Ayase wasn't huge, so this wasn't a very difficult task.

Ayase trembled and shook at the feeling- he couldn't believe Kanou was actually doing this. The idea of sex on a plane seemed so out-there and forbidden; the kind of thing you would see in a porno, but that wouldn't actually happen in real life. But here he was, lying down in first class, having Kanou suck him off. The situation was humiliatingly arousing.

But Kanou was getting tired of waiting around. He wanted to see a reaction already! He gave a hard suck, and Ayase rewarded him with a soft "eep!" Better... at least he was responding in some way now. He used his tongue to tease the underside of Ayase's cock, this time earning a full-scale moan from the little blonde.

"Kanou-san... aaahn..."

Ayase knew he wasn't going to last much longer. Every lick and suck that Kanou lavished on him only made that heat in his lower belly grow stronger, and he had given up trying to control his voice. As embarrassed as he was, he couldn't help but let little moans and cries escape his lips. As Kanou gave one last lick to the tip, Ayase's vision went white and his body jerked and spasmed He released into Kanou's mouth, and the businessman swallowed it all.

"Delicious," he said, teasing Ayase. Ayase blushed and turned away, embarrassed. Kanou gave him a few minutes to compose himself before unzipping his own pants. Blearily, Ayase watched. "Ayase..." Kanou began. "I'm going to give you a choice. Either you can pleasure me with your mouth, or I'm going to fuck you." Ayase knew he didn't have much of a choice. If Kanou penetrated him, he would cry out and moan like it was just them on the plane, and he did not want to attract the attention of the other passengers, or even worse, the air marshal. Ayase blushed, imagining the humiliating scene that would follow getting caught in the act by an international officer.

With this in mind, Ayase crawled forward and took Kanou into his mouth. Kanou hissed in pleasure at Ayase's warm, wet mouth engulfing his member. Hesitantly, he gave a few experimental licks. To encourage him, Kanou gave a soft groan and entwined his fingers in his lover's golden hair. Ayase did take some encouragement from this, but it still wasn't enough for Kanou, who pushed Ayase's head down, forcing his smaller partner to deep-throat him. Ayase gave an alarmed squeak, and for a second, Kanou felt guilty. He hadn't meant to hurt him... but then Ayase sucked on him, and any guilt he might have felt disappeared.

"Yes!" he exclaimed as he came, keeping his hands on Ayase's head so that he would have to swallow every drop of Kanou's seed. Ayase did so, although he shuddered slightly at the bitter taste. Kanou lovingly petted the blonde's hair.

"That was amazing," he murmured into Ayase's ear. Ayase blushed and mumbled something incomprehensible, something that was cut across by the captain's announcement over the loudspeaker.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the seat belt sign as we begin our descent into John F. Kennedy International Airport..."

To Be Continued

Author's Comments:

So right now my area is experiencing something that people are already calling the Snowmageddon, which is probably pretty fitting, seeing as we're expecting at least two and a half feet of snow. The entire area is pretty much shut down. I'm not complaining since I'm recovering from the flu, but still. I'm probably going to update again by the end of the weekend, just because there's nothing else to do. Hopefully the electricity will stay on, otherwise I don't know what I would do.

I was originally going to call this chapter "Trouser Snakes on a Plane," but my beta-reader nearly whacked me upside the head for that...

-Kaboom


	3. Chapter 3

_Text in Italics is meant to be spoken in English._

Chapter Three

Once Kanou and Ayase had collected their luggage, they stood next to a Starbucks kiosk, Kanou checking his watch often, "Fucking idiot..." he muttered. "I should have known... never did fucking show up on time!" Ayase looked at the floor meekly. This wasn't good- Kanou was pissed, and he really hoped he wouldn't take it out on anyone.

"What time did your colleague say that they would be here?" he asked quietly.

"8:00!" Kanou raged. "And it's 8:30 now!"

"Will you calm down?" a woman's voice interrupted. "I can't help it if traffic sucks!" Ayase jumped- he hadn't noticed the woman creep up next to them, and he had to wonder how he _hadn't._ He didn't know they made suits in traffic-cone orange. Kanou glared.

"Hello, Sharon," he said irritably.

"Cranky as usual, I see," the woman called Sharon said. Again, Kanou heaved a sigh, then turned to Ayase.

"Ayase, this is Sharon Gray, CEO of Vector Finanical Group, one of my business contacts. Sharon, this is Yukiya Ayase."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yukiya-san," Sharon said politely, bowing slightly to Ayase. Then, she turned to Kanou. "_Are you out of your mind, Somuku?"_ she exclaimed in English. "_When you said you wished to bring your lover, I thought you meant an adult, not a middle-school boy!"_

"_Ayase is eighteen,"_ Kanou replied curtly, also in English. "_Do you still have a problem?"_

"_Adult my ass! He doesn't look a day over 15!" _

_ "Sharon," _Kanou said shortly. _"You've known me for years. Do you have any reason to doubt me? Do you think I'm that disgusting that I would touch a young teenager?"_

"_No,"_ she admitted. Then, she turned back to Ayase. "Forgive my rudeness, Yukiya-san. You are my guest, I should not have ignored you like that. Now let me take your bag and we'll go to the car. I trust you already have hotel reservations?" Ayase shrank back, clutching at his luggage. He couldn't possibly have her carry his things- it wouldn't be right! "Come on now, that suitcase is as big as you are!" And without waiting for a reply, she snatched the suitcase away from Ayase.

"You can't really stop her when she decides to do something like that," Kanou whispered to Ayase, who nodded. He was beginning to see that...

The odd trio clomped out into the parking lot, and Sharon approached a battered beige sedan. "Wait a minute," Kanou began suspiciously. "You used to drive a Bentley. What happened to it?"

"Since the bailouts I've been trying to keep a lower profile. I still have that car, it's just in the garage at my summer home." she explained, hefting Ayase's suitcase into the trunk. "It's getting late and you two are probably very tired. What hotel are you staying at?"

"Hotel Chelsea," Kanou said smoothly.

"All right then. I'll have someone pick you two up at 9:00 tomorrow morning. I'll give Yukiya-san a company credit card so he can have some spending money as long as he promises not to buy the whole city," Sharon laughed at her own joke. "Yukiya-san can see the city while we work. Then maybe we cacn all meet somewhere for lunch."

"NO!" Kanou shouted. Sharon was startled and hit the break too hard.

"_Somuku, you crazy bastard, what the hell was that for?"_ she yelped, so frightened that she lapsed into English.

"Ayase is not walking around the city by himself!" Kanou declared. "That is the worst fucking idea..."

"Oh really," Sharon responded dryly. "He's an adult, what do you have to worry about?"

_"Remember how I explained to you the reason I couldn't leave him in alone in Japan?_" Kanou asked in English. Sharon's eys widened.

_"You don't think they'd be here, do you?"_ she asked. _"I don't want to get involved with the yakuza again... so much trouble." _

_ "No, nothing like that. But Ayase attracts kidnappers and rapists like a magnet,"_ Kanou explained.

Ayase really wished that they would speak Japanese. It unnerved him when he would be following a conversation and the two of them kept lapsing in and out of English. While he supposed it might be easier for the American businesswoman to communicate in English, it still bothered him a little. It made him feel like the two of them were plotting and didn't want him to know about their intentions toward him.

"Yukiya-san, would you like to see the city tomorrow?" Sharon asked, interrupting his thoughts. "Somuku tells me you've never been here before, and I can take tomorrow afternoon off. We can all go out." Ayase suddenly felt reassured. No one had ever offered to take him sightseeing before, and if she was planning something involving him, why would she bother to do something so nice?

"Yes, I'd like that," he replied shyly.

"Good," Sharon said. "We'll leave at lunchtime tomorrow. I'm afraid you'll have to sit in my office for a while, though. It's not a particularly interesting place, I must warn you."

"No, no, it's fine," Ayase said quietly. Suddenly, the car screeched to a halt.

"Here you are! I'll see you both tomorrow!"

To Be Continued

Author's Comments:

Day Four of Snowmageddon and there's more on the way tomorrow. I wonder if I'm ever going to get out of here...

It's not very often that I write a story with an original character in an important role like this, but I needed a reason for Kanou to need to go to New York. Sharon is actually a character from an original medium-length story I'm working on, and it seemed easier to just borrow her instead of making up a whole new character. I actually like her a lot... she is a bit overbearing, but she generally means well, unless you get in the way of her business.

Sorry that there isn't a sex scene in this chapter. There will be one next time.

-Kaboom


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

No matter how many times Ayase was exposed to the luxury of Kanou's world, the sheer decadence of it all never ceased to amaze him. This hotel was simply splendid. A large, soft-looking bed took up a goodly portion of the room, and a ridiculously-sized plasma television set took up most of a wall. Ayase poked his head into the bathroom, and marveled at the size of the shower/bathtub combination.

"Kanou-san... I'm tired," he said quietly. Kanou nodded.

"Go take a shower," he ordered. "Then we'll go to sleep."

"Alright," Ayase agreed. A shower sounded heavenly to him at the moment. He could wash off the grime of the day's travel and relax at the same time. So he walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him, forgetting to lock it.

Ayase turned on the water before gathering up the bath necessities. He liked hotel shampoo- it was nice to get a bit of a change from the expensive imported shampoo that Kanou always bought. Using such high-class items made him feel uncomfortable, like he was washing money down the drain. He stepped into the shower, enjoying the feel of the hot water running over his skin- it was very comforting to his tired body.

In fact, he was so engrossed in the shower that he didn't hear the bathroom door creak open. Nor did he notice the slight movement of the shower-curtain until some strong arms grasped him from behind and he felt a hardness poking into his bottom.

"Kanou-san, what..." Ayase mumbled. "What's going on?"

"Obviously I'm taking a shower," Kanou deadpanned. "Is there something wrong with that?" he asked, his hands moving in to pinch Ayase's nipples. The blonde gasped and arched into the touch.

"I t-thought you were tired," he managed to stammer.

"I am," Kanou replied calmly, continuing to pinch the little pink buds. "But this will make sure that the both of us are _really_ tired." He spun Ayase around so that he was facing him, and claimed his mouth in a heated kiss. Ayase felt himself melting under the larger man's touch. The stimulation, the warm, wet tongue licking the inside of his mouth, and the warm spray of the shower combined were intoxicating. He could feel his knees buckling, but before he fell, Kanou caught him.

"Careful, now." The amusement in the businessman's voice was evident. "We don't want you to fall. Why don't you sit down?" He gestured towards the back of the bathtub and Ayase eyed him warily. That wasn't... was it? Kanou wasn't possibly planning... was he? Ayase blushed. The next thing he knew, however, he was leaning against the back of the tub, his legs propped up on the ledges, leaving him fully exposed. He moved to cover himself, but Kanou quickly grabbed his hands. "Don't do that. I want to see you- all of you. You should know that by now!"

"Please, Kanou-san," Ayase whimpered. He wasn't even sure what he was asking for, but Kanou already had an idea of what he wanted to do, and wasn't about to let some halfhearted protests stop him. He picked up the bottle of hotel shampoo and poured most of it into his hands. He slicked one finger and pushed it into Ayase's opening. He waited for the smaller man to adjust before he pushed another shampoo-slicked finger into his lover, scissoring them to get Ayase used to the feeling. Once he heard Ayase cry out in pleasure, he knew that he had found the prostate, which usually meant that the small blonde was almost ready. Before he withdrew both fingers, he pushed on the spot again to give Ayase more and more of that pleasure. Ayase shuddered when Kanou pulled his fingers out, only to cry out in pain when the businessman abruptly shoved three fingers inside all at once. Kanou immediately felt bad- he hadn't meant to be that rough.

"I'm sorry," he whispered against Ayase's lips. Ayase nodded, understanding. "Are you OK?"

"...yes..." Ayase replied after a pause. Kanou nodded, withdrawing his fingers again and pouring more shampoo into his hands. He coated his length in the substance, and positioned himself at Ayase's entrance.

"Are you ready?" he asked. He waited until Ayase gave a tentative affirmative response, and pushed himself inside of the tight heat. Ayase whimpered almost pitifully. It didn't matter how many times he and Kanou had sex, it was still painful when he was first breached.

The water temperature turned cooler, but neither man noticed it; as they were too wrapped up in the act of sex to notice much of anything other than each other. Kanou thrusted in and out of the small, warm body under him, and Ayase moaned and gasped at every thrust that hit his prostate. Soon enough, Kanou reached a hand down to pump Ayase's erection in time with his thrusts. With a shout, Ayase came, spattering his essence all over Kanou's chest and hand. Kanou continued to thrust as Ayase rode out his orgasm, not quite there yet. Finally, he released into Ayase, calling his name as he came.

"I've wanted to do that since we were on the plane," Kanou whispered in his lover's ear. The two of them sat there, sated, for a moment until Kanou noticed something. "Fuck! This water is freezing!"

"I never finished washing," Ayase noted.

"You're not finishing tonight," Kanou said firmly. "You'll catch a cold in this water. We'll just sleep tonight, and you can take another shower in the morning. Now get your pajamas on; you won't want to stay up too late or the jet lag will hit you horribly tomorrow."

To Be Continued

Author's Comments:

I've had it up to here with this snow- it's dirty, disgusting, and making it impossible to get anywhere. Roads that used to be four lanes of traffic are down to two because of all of this freakin' snow piled up by the side of the road.

I apologize, this chapter is almost nothing but smut. We're getting to the plot here soon, though. Although soon might be a relative term- some things have come up recently that might make my life a little difficult. I have endometriosis (if you don't know what it is, feel free to ask me, but I'm not going to explain it here) and lately I've been in more pain from it than usual. I'm going to get some medical tests done, and depending on what they find I may be getting some surgery. I'll try to update when I can (which means when I'm not stuck in a big Xerox machine).

-Kaboom


	5. Chapter 5

_Note: Text in Italics is spoken in English. _

Chapter Five

The next morning, Kanou woke Ayase up around 7:30, telling him that it would be prudent to take a shower before they would be expected at Vector Financial. Ayase quickly agreed; he had never gotten to finish showering the night before and was still dirty from their... other activities.

While Ayase got cleaned up, Kanou turned on the outsize television, switching to a local news channel. A perky, bleach-blonde news anchor who looked like she was about due for another hair-dye job was mentioning the morning's top story."_Some believe that ABC Lending is up to its old tricks again,"_ she said. "_The infamous loan-granting and credit card company became known in 2007 for its corrupt debt collection practices, sometimes allegedly going as far as kidnapping, or even murder. With the arrest of president William Richardson and subsequent transfer of power to Logan Truss last year, consumers thought it was safe to borrow money again. But apparently not. We now go to Trenton, New Jersey, to investigate a woman's claim that her family has been victimized once again by ABC Lending."_ The camera cut away from the anchorwoman to show an impeccably-dressed man standing in front of a ramshackle house with a rather large woman next to him.

"_We're here with Ms. Claire Zimmerman, a victim of ABC Lending's predatory loaning practices. Ms. Zimmerman, what can you tell us?"_ With a sigh, the woman began to speak.

"_The trouble starteds last year when my husband lost his job,"_ she said. "_We went to ABC Lending for a loan, and we were granted it, but with ten percent interest added every ten days._"

"Toichi," Kanou said aloud, suddenly very interested in the news show.

"_They also made our 19-year-old daughter cosign the loan," _the woman continued. "_Three months ago we failed to make a payment. We didn't think anything of it until our daughter disappeared last week." _

_ "And you think the loan company had something to do with your daughter's disappearance?" _the newsman asked.

_"Absolutely!"_ the woman exclaimed. "_Our Natasha would never run away from home! My husband and I are positive she was kidnapped." _

_ "Thank you, Ms. Zimmerman,"_ the neswman said before she had a chance to elaborate. "_Back to you, Kathleen."_ The camera cut away, and the anchorwoman who really needed to go to the salon was back on the screen again.

"_In more financial news, the CEO of ABC Lending's biggest rival, Sharon Gray, announced that Vector Financial intends to keep loaning money despite the recession, and will halve the interest rates on low to medium-risk loans to help stimulate the economy." _Kanou picked up the remote and shut off the television. He had to admit, there was something suspicious about that girl's disappearance. Normally he wouldn't have thought about for more than a few seconds- after all, in his world, random disappearances were not all that uncommon- but something the anchor had said was weighing on his mind. Vector Financial was ABC Lending's biggest rival. What if the reason Sharon had called him to New York was because of the other company? Kanou wasn't about to get involved in the middle of a dispute like that- American business fights were nasty things, usually resulting in several court cases, lawsuits brought about by everyone and their mother, and usually, stock prices would plummet. It was so much easier when you could just bribe your way out of things like this...

"Kanou-san?" Ayase's voice asked timidly, jolting Kanou back into the here and now. "What time do we need to leave?" Kanou quickly checked his cell phone. It was 8:45- the car would be there in fifteen minutes.

"Very soon," Kanou replied, hurriedly getting dressed. "If you can, try to wait for breakfast until we get to the office. Sharon usually keeps a lot of food around for guests." Ayase nodded, remaining silent.

Kanou was not aware of this, but Ayase had finished showering while he was watching television, and Ayase had heard some of the broadcast. He couldn't understand very much English, but he did hear the words "Vector Financial," "lending," and Sharon's name over and over. He knew that Vector Financial was Sharon's company, and from Ayase's experience, if something was on the new, it was very rarely a good thing.

Even so, hje did not say anything. There was no need to cause Kanou undue worry, and Ayase had decided that Sharon was no threat to either of them. A bit obnoxious maybe, and with strange taste in suits, but not malicious. At least, he hoped his assessment was correct. It wouldn't have been the first time he misjudged someone's character.

At 9:00 sharp, he and Kanou went to the lobby, where a man in a crisply starched khaki uniform was wiating. "Somuku-san? Yukiya-san? Right this way please," he said in halting Japanese. He led them out the door to where a big black Cadillac was waiting. Kanou snorted.

"Now **that** looks like the kind of car Sharon would drive," he muttered. The khaki-uniformed man ushered the two of them into the car before climbing into the driver's seat.

About half an hour later, they arrived at the Vector Financial building. Kanou muttered and shook his head. "I forgot how bad New York traffic is... thirty minutes to go seven blocks..." He and Ayase were escorted up to the top floor of the building, where a smiling Sharon was waiting for them. Ayase couldn't help but notice that she had ditched the traffic-cone colored suit for an equally loud dress printed all over with roses.

"Welcome!" she cried. "I'm so glad you're here! Please, help yourselves!" She gestured to the back wall, which had a table filled with all kinds of treats propped up against it. Pancakes and waffles with fifteen different kinds of syrups, doughnuts, a menu to get made-to-order omelettes, every kind of cereal one could imagine, and pastries of every kind. A coffee bar with more kinds of creamers than Agase could have ever dreamed of was off to one side, and another table covered in jugs of different fruit juices was on the other.

"Who eats all of this?" Ayase couldn't help but wonder aloud.

"My workers and visitors," Sharon said simply. "Everyone is welcome to come and get some breakfast if they work for me or are here to see me. It's the least I could do... besides, I get half of this stuff for free, anyway. The guy who owns Corner Cafe owes me- I'm letting him pay me back in food." She imparted all this information so good-naturedly that Ayase decided to forget all about the news report. After all, anyone as nice as that** couldn't** be evil, could they?

To Be Continued

* * *

There is a point to this, I swear...

-Kaboom


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Once Ayase had gotten some breakfast and was busy munching away, Kanou led Sharon out of earshot of him. "Did you call me here because of ABC Lending?" he asked accusingly. Sharon froze.

"_What do you know about them?"_ she asked in English. "_How did you find out about them? Don't tell me they've spread to Japan, too!" _

"No," Kanou replied. "I saw something about them on the news this morning. Some woman in New Jersey thinks they kidnapped her daughter because she couldn't pay a debt."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Sharon said darkly. "And what's worse is that they're trying to pin it on me; on my business! I might be a lot of things, Somuku, but I am not a kidnapper."

"I know," Kanou answered, trying to calm her down before she did anything stupid. "The television program mentioned that Vector Financial was ABC Lending's biggest rival. I was curious if they had anything to do with why you asked me to come here."

"Yes and no," the businesswoman replied. "I wanted you to look at some of these things and explain to me what you think is going on. I think it might have **something** to do with ABC Financial, but then again, it may not."

"What are you talking about?" Kanou asked. Sharon responded by shuffling over to her desk, rifling through the top drawer, and grabbing a file folder. She opened it and randomly selected a page out of it.

"Helen Rodriguez," she read. "Customer number 486791. Resident of the Bronx. She took out a $7,000 loan to pay for college. Social Security number xx-xxx-xx."

"So?" Kanou asked, not understanding the connection.

"There was Helen Rodriguez from the Bronx with that number," Sharon stated. "But she died in 1995 at the age of 87. So unless I have ghosts of little old ladies taking out college loans, something is going on here."

"Maybe it was just a mistake?" Kanou suggested.

"OK, fine," Sharon said, pulling out another paper. "Samuel Rocco, customer number 986112. Resident of Wilmington, Delaware. He took out a $10,000 loan, saying it was to start a tech support business. There is a Samuel Rocco in Wilmington with the same Social Security number that is on our records, but he couldn't possibly start a tech support business. Well, I guess he could, but that is one genius five-month-old baby." Kanou was beginning to see her point, but two fraudulent loans hardly indicated a crime wave or some insidious conspiracy. What if it was just some pranksters? Annoying, yes, and deserving to be punished, yes, but not part of some plot.

Almost as if she read his mind, Sharon read another paper. "Ian Bothwell, borrowed $3,000 to make a down payment on a card. There is an Ian Bothwell matching the information we have, but he has no need of a car, considering he's been in a secure pyschiatric institution for the past six years. Alice Wilkinson, she borrowed $700 to buy a laptop computer. There was an Alice Wilkinson with that same information, but she died in a car crash last year. Apparently Siwon Kim took out a $4,500 loan, also for college, but as of July 2003, she has been living in an assisted-living facility in Florida. Most 102-year-olds don't go to college. A guy named Mitchell Keathley borrowed nearly $20,000 to pay off damages that were inflicted on his uninsured beach-house when a hurricaine came through."

"Why would you loan money to a fucking moron who didn't insure his property?" Kanou wanted to know.

"I didn't authorize the loan myself, but that's not the point," Sharon said irritably. "I would hope that the real Mitchell Keathley wouldn't have a house of his own, considering that he is three years old." Kanou had to admit that this was extremely suspicious. But what did it have to do with ABC Lending? This seemed more like a cut-and-dried case of simple identity theft, and he told her so.

"I don't know if you have heard this story," Sharon began, "but a couple of years ago, the CEO of ABC Lending was indicted on identity theft charges that were later dropped. He's still in prison, but that's for defrauding his customers. The person who succeeded him is even more of a sneaky bastard than he was, and besides, that guy and I have some history. Let's just say that the bastard would have motivation to swindle me. And I'm not discussing the matter any more."

"So what do you want to do?" Kanou asked. "Unless you're planning to break into the building you're not going to be able to prove anything!" The maniacal grin that spread across the woman's face was enough to give the devil himself the chills.

"That's exactly what I plan to do, which is why I need a favor from you, Somuku."

"No." Kanou's voice was firm. "I am not breaking into any buildings for you. We might have known each other for years and I did say I would help you with this, but I am not putting myself at risk in that way."

"Oh come now," Sharon reprimanded. "As though I would stoop so low as to have my guests do the dirty work. I simply asked you to come here so that you could accompany me to a dinner party at the ABC building. Originally I was going to have just you and me, but since you brought Yukiya-san as well, he might be an advantage. So what do you say?"

To Be Continued


	7. Chapter 7

_Text in Italics is spoken in English. _

Chapter Seven

For a while, Kanou could only gape at the woman. What the hell was she talking about? "Sharon," he finally managed to say. "You _never_ go to parties."

"I do to ones hosted by Logan Truss just to spite the bastard," Sharon replied grimly. "Twice a year he hosts a party with everyone from the financial district invited. He invites me to piss me off, and I accept to return the favor. You and Yukiya-san will cover for me when I excuse myself. Just say I needed to use the toilet or something, it should buy me enough time to break in and find anything I need."

"Forget it," Kanou stated. "You're not taking Ayase anywhere, especially somewhere he would be especially vulnerable, like a party." Upon hearing his name, Ayase looked up.

"Huh?"

"I want you and Somuku to accompany me to a party, Yukiya-san," Sharon explained. "But Somuku refuses. Shame, I'll just have to do it all myself." She shot a sneaky look at the Japanese businessman, and Kanou felt his blood boil. Who did she think she was, trying to sweet-talk Ayase into one of her stupid schemes? She had a bit of a reputation for not thinking the possible consequences of her actions through, and Kanou was not going to let her put Ayase in danger because of some badly thought-out plan. "Oh well. I'll just take care of it myself, and hopefully nothing will go wrong," she said, turning back to Kanou. "Why don't you take Yukiya-san out to see the city tomorrow night? The Top of the Rock is amazing at night, you can see all of the city lights. I'll tell the driver to expect you."

"I'll do it!" Kanou suddenly growled. Sharon was really too much sometimes. Only she could make something as innocuous as a simple sightseeing trip into a guilt-driven argument. "But if anything happens to Ayase, I'll kill you!" he added for emphasis. The businesswoman nodded, her face uncharacteristically serious.

"_If anything happens to him I'll tie to concrete blocks to my feet and jump into the Hudson myself_," she said in English. Alarmed by the sudden shift in attitute and the abrupt switch to English, Ayase looked from Sharon to Kanou, confused. She just smilaed at him. "So, Yukiya-san, we have got to get you some party clothes. Why don't you come with me? We can go to Saks 5th Avenue- if you've never been there before, it's amazing."

"But what about the money?" Ayase found himself asking. He might have never been to America, but he had seen enough American movies and television programs to know that Saks 5th Avenue was one of the most high-end stores in the country. Sharon smirked.

"Oh honey, I've got company credit cards," she laughed. "There's no reason for you to buy anything yourself!"

* * *

While the three of them exited to the car and drove away, they were unaware that they were being followed. _"Woo! Did you see that girl old Sharon had with her? So sexy..."_

_"You know, I never figured that bitch to be the type go for other women..." _

_ "Oh come off it. Old Sharon ain't no lesbo, anyone who's ever seen her knows she's more frigid than a winter day in Antarctica. Didn't you see that gigantic Japanese guy? That pretty little thing was obviously his lover!"_

_"You moron, that guy was Kanou Somuku. He runs that big financial firm over in Japan. Old Sharon's known him for years."_

_ "Hmmm, you know, this could work to our advantage. If we can get ahold of that lovely blonde, we can strik a blow to both Sharon Gray and Kanou Somuku! The international financial world would be at our fingertips if we took down two of the kingpins." _

_ "You're a genius, you know that? The boss is going to be so pleased with you!"_

* * *

Sharon was not aware that she was being followed, and so made no effort to try to disguise her route. "So what kinds of things do you like to wear, Yukiya-san?" she asked. Ayase fidgeted nervously. The kind of things he thought looked good and the kinds of things Kanou liked to dress him in were nearly polar opposites.

"Um, anything is fine with me..." he muttered.

"Wonderful!" Sharon cried. "Oh, you are going to look so cute when I'm done with you!" Ayase stole a glance at the businesswoman's attire. While he might not be the most fashion-conscious person ever, he didn't want to wear something obnoxiously printed or made of a weirdly colored material. He didn't think he'd ever be able to live down the embarrassment of being dressed in something printed obnoxiously with flowers. But then, he thought to himself, he was forced into frilly, lacy things almost every day of the week. How would wearing a floral muumuu be any different?

"Don't worry." Sharon smiled, easily reading his thoughts. "The final decision is up to you, you know. If you absolutely hate something, then you don't need to buy it. Oh, and Somuku?"

"What?"

"You don't get to see Ayase's new clothes until tomorrow night. Now go bog off and look at ties or something." Kanou opened his mouth as though to yell at the woman and say something about how she couldn't just take Ayase away from him, that he would get into trouble and that it wasn't safe, but it was too late. Sharon grabbed Ayase by the hand and dragged him off to the menswear department. Kanou was not about to let Ayase out of his sight, so he followed from a safe distance.

* * *

"I think you would look quite nice in white," Sharon said, holding up a white suit. "Although this will be much too large for you. I wonder if we could get it altered? We could take it to my tailor. But the gray one is good too, and it looks more likely to fit you. Try it on!" Ayase shuffled off to the dressing room, squeaking in surprise when he realized it was already occupied.

"Kanou-san!" he cried out. "W-what are you doing here? I thought Sharon-san said you couldn't..." Kanou shushed him by placing a finger to his lips.

"Do you really think I care what she said?" he asked deviously. "If there's one thing Sharon Gray is good at, it's talking. Some of what she says is bound to be forgotten, don't you think?" The businessman eyed Ayase laviciously, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "Now then... I think that you were supposed to be getting undressed?"

"B-but," Ayase stammered. "I was supposed to... try on the suit."

"I can already tell that the suit will fit you just fine," Kanou said flippantly while he undid the buttons on Ayase's shirt. "We'll just tell Sharon that it fit you perfectly, hmm?" he suggested, licking the shell of Ayase's ear. The small blonde whimpered and shuddered.

"W-we can't, Kanou-san! Not here!" he begged, trying to squirm free from the larger man's iron grip. "Not in public!" Kanou just laughed.

"You're going to say that now, but how many times have we had sex in places like this?" he asked. "There's no use struggling, Ayase." He managed to tug the blonde's pants down, and then... someone knocked on the dressing room door.

"Yukiya-san! How long does it take to put on a suit? Come on, I want to see what it looks like on you!" Sharon called. Immediately, Ayase flushed a color reminiscent of a tomato.

"Please wait! I will be ready shortly! I'm sorry!" he dithered. "I'm, I'm getting dressed right now!" Kanou rolled his eyes.

"Ayase is otherwise occupied at the moment, Sharon," he said smoothly. "If you can spare him for fifteen minutes..."

"Didn't I tell you to go look at ties?" Sharon asked, sounding extremely put out. "How is Ayase supposed to try on a suit with you in there?"

To Be Continued

Author's Comments:

It is only by the help of the weasels that live in my head that I managed to get this chapter done. Editing it was a disaster. First it had a sex scene in it, but I thought said sex scene sucked, so I deleted it. Then I felt like the chapter didn't really flow without it, so I put it back in, but still hated it, so I deleted it again. I tried to write it one last time, but it made the chapter's flow even worse. So it was taken out for the last time. Sorry to everyone who wanted a lemon in this chapter, there will be one next time.

Also, fair warning: we're coming up on the end of the first half of this story, which has a much more humorous, light-hearted feeling than the rest. The rest of the story deals with some darker concepts, and things quickly go downhill from there- it's not happy times. Some people do not like to read stories focusing on the darker side of what can happen when plans go wrong (yes, it's a roundabout sentence, I don't want to give too much away), so I thought it was just fair to give you advance warning. And since Part 2 is introduced somewhat in this chapter (the stalkers), it made sense to put the warning here.

-Kaboom


	8. Chapter 8

_Text in Italics is spoken in English._

Chapter Eight

Forty-five minutes and several lectures from Sharon about public decency later, Ayase was the proud owner of a snazzy new suit, paid for by the income of Vector Financial Group, and Kanou was grumbling about nosy corporate executives who should just mind their own business regarding what happens in dressing rooms. But despite the severe scolding Kanou had received from the American businesswoman, Ayase was still extremely embarrassed. He couldn't believe that Kanou had actually tried something like that in a place as public as a dressing room in a high-end store.

"Are you a nymphomaniac?" Sharon asked bluntly. "Because you can't keep your hands to yourself long enough for Yukiya-san to try on a goddamn suit! I pity the poor boy- he must never get to sleep at night!"

"What do you know?" Kanou had shot back.

"Um, it's fine, really," Ayase added. "I... I don't mind- it's not a big deal." Sharon sighed heavily.

"You're a sweet guy, Yukiya-san," she said. "Just stay that way, alright? There's not enough good people in this world. Lord knows I'd like to meet more people like you. Hell, I'd like to _be_ more like you." She stared off at nothing, an unreadable expression on her face. Ayase was about to ask her if she was alright when Kanou placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Leave her alone," he whispered in Ayase's ear. "She gets like this sometimes." Forcing a smile, the businesswoman turned around.

"You guys, why don't you go explore the city for a while? I need to buy some things, and it's likely that it would be very boring for you two. Why don't we meet up right here in two hours?"

"That's fine," Kanou said shortly. "Come on, Ayase."

* * *

"Kanou-san, where are we going?" Ayase asked, bracing himself against the wind.

"Wherever you want to," Kanou replied. "Is there anywhere in particular that you'd like to go?" As a matter of fact, there was. During one of the times he'd been cooped up in the house and channel-surfing, he had come across a television program set in New York City. In it, the male lead had taken his girlfriend to Rockefeller Center for some ice-skating before they had gone up to the roof. What was it called again? Top of the Rock? Yes, Sharon had even mentioned something about it herself. Ayase voiced this wish, and Kanou smiled.

"That's just right across the street," he said. "Of course we can go." He paid the fee for both of them, and they began the process to the top. Kanou blinked when he saw the security setup. "Huh. It's just like an airport!" Thankfully, they made it through security without any trouble, and within five minutes the two of them were overlooking the city.

"Amazing," Ayase breathed. "I've never seen anything like it." Kanou grunted in agreement.

"It's like you can see forever," he mumbled. Much to his surprise, Ayase cuddled up to his side, resting his head on his shoulder as they stared out at the cityscape.

"Thank you for bringing me on this trip," he sighed. "I've really enjoyed it. America... I've never... I never... I never imagined that I would be here. I never expected to ever leave Japan, honestly, and here you paid so much money to take me on an important trip like this. Thank you." Ayase peeked up at Kanou, who just stared at him for a moment.

"You really are too adorable for your own good, you know that?" Kanou growled before pulling the smaller man closer to him for a passionate kiss. Ayase submitted, allowing Kanou's tongue unrestricted access to his mouth, which the businessman took advantage of. His tongue explored the moist cavern thoroughly, but eventually the two of them had to break for air. Kanou smirked down at Ayase.

"Shall we go back to the hotel?" he grinned.

"B-but Sharon..."

"Sharon will just have to deal with it. I will send her a text message so that she knows she won't need to wait around for us."

"But she has the car..." Ayase said dubiously. Kanou laughed.

"Taxis aren't particularly difficult to come by when you're with me."

"Alright," Ayase finally agreed.

* * *

"_No, I already told you that the Versace gown clung too tightly to my middle! It made me look fat!"_ Sharon irritably snapped at a salesgirl. "_Bring me the Zac Posen dress I mentioned earlier. It looked like it might fit better."_ She sat down with a sigh. Sharon hated shopping, none of the useless salespeople ever got her requests right, or if they did, they took about a million years to fulfill them. So when her mobile phone beeped, she was already irritated. Flipping open the device, she got ready to send back a very scathing text message to whoever thought it would be a good idea to bother her, but she burst out in laughter when she saw what **this** particular text message was. The salesgirl looked as though she would have rather left the crazy lady to deal with her shit on her own, but still had to maintain the polite facade that she was expected to.

"_Ms. Gray? Are you alright?"_

"_Heh heh,"_ Sharon chuckled. "_I shoulda known they wouldn't come back. Goddamn, acting like two hormonal teenager... of course they'd be all over each other!"_

* * *

True to his word, Kanou managed to get a taxi, and before long, he and Ayase were back at their hotel room. Ayase barely had time to kick off his shoes before Kanou hoisted him up and carried him to the bed, setting him down on the mattress with a soft flomp. Wide blue eyes peeked up at him innocently from under strands of golden hair, and Kanou wasted no time in making those beautiful eyes widen even more in pleasure. He pulled Ayase's shirt off and wasted no time in ravishing the smaller man's chest.

"K-kanou-san," Ayase cried out as Kanou bit down rather harshly on a pink nipple. "Kanou-san, please..." He didn't even know what he was asking for, but apparently Kanou did, because he moved to give the other small bud the same treatment while grabbing at Ayase's clothed crotch. The blonde nearly arched off the bed in pleasure.

"You like that?" Kanou asked wickedly, reveling in the small sounds of pleasure he was managing to elicit from his lover.

"Y-yes," Ayase panted. Without warning, Kanou smirked and yanked the small blonde's pants off. Ayase braced himself, expecting his lover's finger to breach him like usual, but instead, he felt Kanou spread his legs, and he felt the larger man's hot breath on the most intimate part of his body. Before he had time to process what was happening, Kanou's tongue swiped across his entrance, and Ayase keened.

"No! You can't! Not there... it's... it's..." he tried to get his objections out, but then Kanou poked his tongue inside and any coherent thoughts that Ayase might have been able to form fled to make room for one thing, and one thing only: the pure pleasure he was feeling.

Once Kanou deemed Ayase ready, he withdrew himself, freed his painful erection from the confines of his trousers, and positioned himself at Ayase's entrance. "Relax, OK?" he asked gently. Ayase gave a shuddering breath, and then nodded. Slowly, Kanou pushed into the body beneath him, smirking when got a loud moan in response.

Patiently, Kanou waited until he was sure Ayase had adjusted to the intrusion. Once the smaller man started to push back against him, he pulled out until only his tip remained inside, then thrusted in again. Ayase screamed- Kanou had hit hid prostate dead-on. He began a steady rhythm, reaching down to pump Ayase in time with his thrusts.

He only managed about a minute of this treatment before Ayase lost control and exploded all over his hand, his inside's clamping down on Kanou's cock tightly. Kanou thrusted in one last time before he released inside of his lover's body.

Sated, he flopped down next to Ayase and sighed. "I love you," he whispered into his smaller lover's ear on a whim. He hadn't really expected a response, so he was pleasantly surprised by Ayase's reaction of snuggling up against him. For now, that would do.

To Be Continued

Author's Comments:

Fun fact: Saks 5th Avenue is really, really close to the Rockefeller center, and when I went, security there was Serious Business, actually taking longer to get through than airport security. And airport security will take an hour if you're lucky.

In all actuality, I was only in Saks for a few minutes while one of the people I was traveling with went to go look at some shoes that cost an antire year's salary. I was a bit preoccupied at the time (getting multiple frantic text messages from your friend who thinks they're about to lose their job has a way of doing that) and didn't really get a good look around me. What I do remember is that everything in the store cast a lot more than I'd care to spend on anything, even if it was very pretty. But I did pay attention when I was at the Top of the Rock. The only reason I didn't try to describe the view is that I honestly don't think I could. It was probably one of the most epic experiences of my life, and there's really nothing quite like looking out over one of the largest cities in the world. "I can see forever" is a pretty accurate description of the view, but it's one of those things that just has to be experienced to really believe. If you're ever in New York City and get the chance, definitely go check it out. The airport-like security checkpoints are worth it.

-Kaboom


	9. Chapter 9

_Note: Text in Italics is spoken in English._

Chapter Nine

Ayase and Kanou spent the night (and half of the next day) curled up next to each other. They were still snoozing at noon when a sharp rap on the door woke them up. Grumbling, Kanou got up and went to open the door, vowing to kill whoever it was that had disturbed them.

"Good lord, Somuku." Sharon wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Still asleep at this hour?"

"How do you know that I wasn't working?" Kanou retorted. Sharon gave him a pointed look.

"Do you usually work minus pants?" Sure enough, Kanou realized that he had neglected to put on a pair of pants before he went to open the door. Scowling, he glared at the businesswoman.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" he asked angrily, trying to save face. "Don't you have work to do?"Sharon laughed.

"I'm actually out on business right now," she said. "I was nearby and realized that I forgot to tell you to be ready by 6:00 tonight. I'll come up here and get you. But I see that I have interrupted something. I'll leave you to it, then. Treat him gently, OK? I don't want to see that poor boy limping around because you were too rough."

"Alright, fine," Kanou barked before shutting the door in Sharon's face. She was likely to give him hell for it later, but at that time it didn't really matter to him. What business was it of hers how he treated Ayase? He sighed and went back to bed, glancing at Ayase's sleeping form. He looked like a little angel when he was asleep, and Kanou couldn't contain himself. He bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to Ayase's forehead before crawling back beneath the sheets. Hey, they didn't need to be ready to go until 6:00... that left plenty of time for a nap.

* * *

Ayase mumbled to himself as he stared in the mirror, face scrunched up in a grimace as he tried his hardest to keep his tie from getting crooked. It was really quite annoying- the damn thing wouldn't sit the way it was supposed to on his collar. No matter what he did, the stupid tie was lopsided.

"What are you doing?" Kanou sounded amused as he watched Ayase struggle with the piece of fabric. Ayase looked down, embarrassed.

"I can't get this to look right," he said. Kanou knelt in front of the smaller man and adjusted the tie, getting Ayase's thanks.

Still, Ayase felt strange, and it had nothing to do with his attire. At first, he had been excited about the party. After all, he rarely got to go to anything like this, and it would be especially interesting because he'd never even conceived of the thought that he would _ever_ get to attend a high-society party in America. But now he was starting to worry. Neither Kanou nor Sharon had told him anything about why they were going, and it struck him as a little odd. He could remember Kanou saying that Sharon hated to socialize like this... what was her motivation for suddenly agreeing to go to a party. It just struck him as odd.

But a knock on the door jolted him out of his thoughts, watching as Kanou hurried over to open it. Ayase had to stop himself from asking who the person was when he saw her, but a few moments later he realized it was Sharon. She was a bit difficult to recognize when she was in an elegant black gown, with her hair down and her makeup much more subtle than usual. Ayase had come to associate the woman with traffic-cone colored suits and fire-truck red lipstick. Out of her usual clothing, she was like a completely different person.

"I knew that suit would fit you perfectly!" she exclaimed upon seeing Ayase. "You look so cute!"

"For once, your fashion sense didn't result in the person you decided to dress looking ridiculous," Kanou said by way of a backhanded compliment. Sharon glared at him before turning to Ayase, a big smile on her face.

"Are you excited? I know I am... I hate going to parties, but I like hors d'oeuvres. I intend to eat them all."

"Hors d'oeuvres?" Ayase asked, confused. "What are those?"

"Oh. I guess you would call them 'zensai' maybe?" Sharon replied. "I'm sorry, I don't speak Japanese very well when it co,mes to food terms."

"Oh! I know what you're talking about now!"Ayase exclaimed. "Those are delicious!"

"I know! Make sure you enjoy yourself and eat as much as you want, but stay away from the chocolates. Logan Truss likes to put weird things in them to make sure that he gets to take home the 'girl of the week,'" she said disgustedly. With that, she lead Kanou and Ayase down to the car she had waiting.

Traffic was a disaster, so it took nearly an hour to reach the ABC Lending building. When they finally arrived, Sharon flung open the doors and stepped into the main entry, beckoning for Kanou and Ayase to follow her.

"_Sharon!"_ a short, squat man dressed in clothes that made Ayase think of the Monopoly man exclaimed. _"How wonderful to see you again!"_ Then, he noticed Kanou and Ayase. "_And you brought Kanou Somuku with you! That's surprising, I didn't know you'd kept in contact with him!"_

_ "Mr. Hughes," _Kanou said politely. "_It's been a while."_

"Who is that?" Ayase asked Sharon curiously, startled by the way her interactions with the man seemed genuinely warm.

"My late father's best friend, my uncle William Hughes,"she explained quietly. "Somuku's father knew him as well." Kanou introduced Ayase to the man as a friend of his and Sharon's and Mr. Hughes managed to tell Ayase in Japanese that he was very pleased to meet him. The three English-speakers chatted for a while, with Kanou translating for Ayase, until Sharon dragged them all off to the table where the snacks were. While Ayase was busy getting something to eat, Sharon pulled Kanou off to the side.

"Remember how we dicussed this," she instructed. "I don't think it will take longer than twenty minutes, but so that there's a margin of error, let's make it thirty. If I am gone longer than half an hour, take Yukiya-san and get out of here. Oh, and if you see Lance Milford, try to avoid him. That nosy bastard will want to know why you're in America, and if he finds out he'll tell every fucking reporter in the country."

"I got it," Kanou said, waving his hand dismissively. "Be careful, though. Like you said, I'm not explaining to any fucking reporters or the police why you got caught."

"No problem, Somuku, I've got it under control."

As Sharon sneaked out the back, two men were watching Kanou and Ayase very interestedly. "_Hey_," the shorter of the two asked the other. "_That sexy blonde is in a suit- is that normal for women?"_

_ "You dumbass, don't you ever watch television?"_the taller one responded. "_Women wear suits all the time. Besides, I think it looks great on her. It accentuates all the right places, you know?"_

_ "Whatever. We've gotta put the plan into action."_ Moving instantly, the shorter man approached Ayase with a glass of champagne in his hand, holding it out to the small blonde. "For you,"he said in Japanese, startling Ayase.

"Oh! N-no, I can't," he replied nervously. The stranger just clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"That won't do! Here in America we have a custom that if someone offers you a drink, you must accept it." Ayase was at a loss for what to do, so the man continued : "You wouldn't want to offend your host now, would you?"

"No..." Ayase hesitated. Gingerly, he accepted the drink and took a tiny sip. It didn't taste off, so he finished it, not really thinking anything of it. Pretty quickly, his vision began to blur. "What's happening?" he asked in a panic. But he never got an answer- strong arms grasped him around the middle and he felt himself being dragged off. He tried to call for help, but when he opened his mouth, a silk necktie was stuffed in to muffle his cries.

"That was too easy," the man laughed before dragging into an elevator, where his partner was waiting. "Up we go!"

To Be Continued


	10. Chapter 10

_Note: Text in Italics is spoken in English._

Chapter Ten

Ayase struggled to get away from his captors, but the man holding him had a vise-like grip on his arms. "_She's got fight in her, huh?"_

_ "Shut up. Just get her to the boss, alright?" _Ayase whimpered in fright- it scared him, not knowing what they were saying. But he knew one thing. It couldn't be anything good.

Before he knew it he felt himself being pushed harshly onto a sofa, his hands tied to one of the arm rests, and his ankles tied to the corresponding leg of the furniture. "What's going on? Please, let me go!" he cried pitifully, causing his two captors to look at each other in confusion.

"_You understand what she's saying?"_

_ "Nope. The only Japanese I know is sushi, karate, and Toyota."_ But then, someone else entered the room, flinging open the door. He seemed very familiar to Ayase, although he couldn't quite place him. But whoever this guy was, he gave the small blonde a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"_Good job! It's nice to see that you incompetent idiots are useful for something other than crashing my cars and spying on the female employee's toilets,"_ he said in English before turning to Ayase and licking his lips. "_Although I must say... Kanou Somuku certainly knows how to pick 'em- she's absolutely delicious."_ He approached Ayase and knelt down. "You'll have to excuse the rough treatment, miss, but it was necessary to get you away from your jealous lover and that infernal Sharon Gray. That woman just doesn't know when to leave well enough alone."

"Ah... I'm not..." Ayase began, but the man paid him no mind.

"Anyway, I haven't properly introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Logan Truss, and I'm the CEO of ABC Lending. I'm sure by now you'd think that we brought you here for a reason, and you'd be right. We intend to force Somuku and Gray out of business, and to do that we plan to film the rape of Somuku's little girlfriend, and dispose of Sharon Gray when she comes looking for you. Don't worry, I'll treat you gently. I'll even use a condom, although if it's not too forward of me to say, I wouldn't mind if someone as lovely as you was to bear my child." Logan reached out to caress Ayase's face, and he repressed a shudder.

"There's been a mistake," he said desperately. "I'm not... I'm not Kanou-san's girlfriend!" Logan just laughed.

"There's no use trying to lie now, dear," he mocked. _"Did you two set up the equipment?"_ he suddenly barked to his henchmen. The short one gave a thumbs-up and stepped aside to reveal a camcorder on a tripod. "_Well, turn it on already! We don't have all night! I'll have to get back to the party eventually!"_ The henchmen scrambled to do his bidding, and Logan advanced on Ayase, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Shall we get started then?" he asked, tearing Ayase's suit jacket off of his body. He gave the same treatment to the dress shirt, and promptly gaped.

"_Uh, boss?"_ the taller flunky said. "_I think Somuku's playmate is more like a toyboy." _

_ "You think?"_ Logan snarked. "Well, boy, you've surprised me. I expected you to be female, but that didn't work out. No matter, you look enough like a woman that I shouldn't have a problem fucking you anyway. Although I guess we won't need that condom now, since you can't get pregnant."

"Please no!" Ayase begged, trying desperately to get his arms and legs free from the bindings, but to no avail. Logan unbuttoned his pants and advanced on him, Ayase realizing that he was trapped.

* * *

Kanou was starting to get agitated. Ayase was nowhere to be seen. He had tried checking the men's room, but no Ayase. He checked a coat closet, but found nothing but coats and a rather embarrassed couple. He checked near the food, but no Ayase.

He began to get even more worried when Sharon didn't come back. Thirty minutes went by, then forty-five, then an hour. What if she had walked into a trap? Even worse, what if Ayase walked into a trap?

"_You looking for your girlfriend?" _A thin, mousy man said. Kanou jumped- he hadn't seen this person sneak up on him.

"_My what? Oh, yeah, have you seen her?"_ he quickly recovered. The man smirked.

"_The boss told me to tell you that we have her... and he'll kill her unless you go to the conference room on the 12__th__ floor." _

_ "You bastard!"_ Kanou yelled. "_I'll kill you!" _

_ "Well, if you ever want to see her alive again, I'd suggest you stop threatening me and get moving. Don't hate me, I'm just doing my job." _But Kanou didn't hear; he pushed past the informant, running towards the elevator bay, not really caring about what the other guests thought was going on. He had to save Ayase.

* * *

Tears streamed down Ayase's face as the fingers mercilessly stretching his insides scissored sharply. With the exception of the first time, when Kanou slept with him, it was never violent like this. And the harsh words falling from his attacker's lips weren't helping to ease the pain and despair that was threatening to consume his heart.

"Oh, stop whining. It's not like this is your first time, is it, whore?" Logan might as well have slapped Ayase across the face. He continued, reaching around to cup Ayase's mostly flaccid penis. "Why aren't you harder? A little fag like you, I would have thought that you'd be loving this!" Ayase choked back another sob, and Logan withdrew his fingers and wiped them on his pants in disgust.

"That ought to be enough. Brace yourself!"

* * *

Kanou kicked in the door to the twelfth0floor conference room, expecting to find Ayase. He didn't find Ayase, but what he did find made him yell in shock. Instead of Ayase, he saw Sharon, bound and gagged with a gum pointed at her head. When she saw Kanou, she struggled, thrashed, and tried to communicate. "Mmmph! Mmmph!" she mumbled around the sock crudely stuffed in her mouth. "Mmph! MMMPH!"

"_Where is Ayase?"_ Kanou snarled at the man, who just grinned.

"_You mean that girly-boy? The boss is probably thoroughly enjoying him by now. He certainly looked like he'd be a good fuck." _

_ "You bastard!"_ Kanou yelled at the same time Sharon's eyes widened and she gave an enraged grunt.

"_Oh look, the bitch wants to say something,"_ Sharon's captor laughed, aiming a kick at the bound woman, she toppled over, and the man pulled the sock out of her mouth.

"_Wash your fucking socks,"_ she snarled at the man before turning to Kanou. "Somuku, get the fuck out of here!" she yelled in Japanese. "I know where they are keeping Ayase! He's on the top floor. Go get him. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, and if it's my time to die, it's my time to die. They're going to rape him! Logan Truss is going to rape him!"

"Top floor. Alright!" Kanou yelled. Unfortunately, this only enraged the guy with the gun.

"_Speak English, damn it!"_ he screeched before losing control and firing the gun. Sharon gave a strangled cry and crumpled in on herself. Kanou watched in shock as blood blossomed from her hip, seeping through the black material of her dress and staining the rug a bright crimosn color. The man dropped the gun, looking terrified.

"_Fuck! I wasn't supposed to shoot her! That was supposed to be the boss's privilege!"_He turned tail and ran, while Kanou stepped forward, as if to approach the wounded woman, but she stopped him.

"Go protect Ayase," she said. "I've been stabbed before... being shot isn't any worse." Kanou could tell that she was bluffing, because he saw her give a pained wince and her breathing was becoming ragged.

"If you die before I get back, I'm going to find you in Hell and kick your ass," Kanou warned. Sharon grimaced.

"Now's not the time for a theological discussion, Somuku," she said. "If I end up in Hell, I end up in Hell, and if you end up there too you have my full permission to kick my ass! Now stop fucking around and go!" she exclaimed.

To Be Continued

Author's Comments:

A fast update, mainly because I felt kind of bad about cutting the last chapter off where it did. I realize this chapter's ending isn't much better, though...

-Kaboom


	11. Chapter 11

_Text in Italics is spoken in English. _

Chapter Eleven

_"Do you think we should do something?"_ the shorter of Logan Truss' henchmen asked. They had been assigned to keep watch outside the door where Ayase was being kept, and the blonde's pained cries reverberated around the entire floor. It was heart-wrenching enough to make even a thug like Logan's goon doubt what he was doing.

"_Why?"_ the other asked.

"_You'd have to be a fucking idiot not to know what's going on in there," _the short one replied. _"That boy is being raped, and I almost feel like we should stop it or something, you know?" _

_ "I don't see why,"_ the other flunky said. "_It's not like we're the ones raping him, although I wouldn't mind having a go when the boss is done with him." _

_ "Then you're even more of a twisted bastard than I thought. I thought you were fucked in the head after you killed that old lady just to get her empty wallet, but goddamn, you're fucking crazy! What's wrong with you? Are you a pedophile or just sex-crazed?" _

_ "Ayase is eighteen,"_ an angry voice snarled. "_But it doesn't mean I'm not going to kill your little friend there." _The elevator doors slid open, revealing Kanou, who was exuding murderous intent. Both men almost squeaked, and the tall one ran for the stairs, only to be shot in both legs by a very pissed-off Kanou. "_You can thank your friend downstairs for that. The idiot should learn not to shoot people and then drop his gun when he panics." _

"_Holy shit..."_ the short one breathed when as Kanou walked toward him. He braced himself, expecting to be shot just like his companion, but instead, Kanou just stopped and glared at him.

"_Is your boss behind these doors?"_ he asked. The man nodded. "_If you wait there, then maybe I won't kill you. But if you try to help your friend over there, I'll kill you both. Do you understand?" _The man stammered out a yes, scrambling to get out of Kanou's way.

- - - -

"Please, stop!" Ayase cried, knowing it was futile as he felt one of the man's powerful thrusts tear at his insides. "It hurts!"

"Huh, I wouldn't think it would bother a slut like you," Logan said darkly, ignoring Ayase's pleas. "In fact, I think I'd enjoy it more if I went harder." Ayase keened, feeling used and dirty, and trying to keep the horrific pain wracking his small frame at bay.

"Uh! Coming!" Logan grunted before releasing his seed inside of Ayase's body. Seconds later, he heard a gunshot. "Hmph. They must have killed that irritating woman by now, and your little boyfriend is next! You, though. You I'll keep alive. You were a good fuck." Ayase struggled not to cry at the man's cruel words. It was his fault. If he wasn't so weak that Kanou couldn't leave him by himself in Japan, Sharon wouldn't be dead, and Kanou wouldn't be in danger like this.

"What's wrong?" Logan asked sarcastically, mock concern filling his voice. "Shocked that your benefactress and boyfriend will be awaiting you in Hell?"

"Oh really?" a very familiar voice asked. "I'd think twice about making blanket statements, if I were you."

"How the fuck did you get in here?" Logan howled angrily when he realized that the intruder was Kanou. "You and that bitch are supposed to be dead! Those idiots, I knew that I couldn't trust them to do anything right." Kanou ignored him, and gave the room a quick glance. He took in the sight of the nude, terrified Ayase, and noticed with a surge of rage that he was sporting several prominent bruises, a cut or two, and had that bastard's cum dripping down the inside of his thighs.

"Yes," Kanou said in a hard voice. "I'm still alive, although you can't blame your goons for trying. As for Sharon, your people did manage to put her in critical condition, but I'm sure she'll manage to pull through. She's survived worse than simply being shot." Logan just gave a sadistic laugh.

"Maybe you and the bitch survived, but you're too late to save this one." He indicated Ayase. "He's mine now, and I'm sure you don't want a dirtied lover, right?"

"You evil bastard," Kanou snarled, pulling out the gun he had stolen and tossing it idly from hand to hand.

"Oh, you're not going to shoot me," Logan cackled, grabbing Ayase and holding him in front of his body like a shield. "Not unless you want to shoot **him."**Kanou froze. He was confident in his marksmanship, but was terrified that the evil fucker might use Ayase to block the shot. He might aim away from Ayase, but Truss might move him to take the bullet.

"Such a coward," Kanou said, his voice full of bravado to hide his true feelings- a mix of rage, worry, and homicidal intent. "Why are you involving someone who has nothing to do with your business plans? Sharon and I were your targets. Why did you involve Ayase?"

"You don't get it, do you. By violating that boy, I brought disgrace on both of you and your corporations. The CEO of Vector Financial couldn't protect her foreign guest and allowed the rape of her innocent, non-English-speaker to take place. So shamed, she took her own life, or at least, that's we had planned to make it look like. And you... you died trying to protect your young lover from the beasts who attacked him. That way, two competitors are out of the way, I gained a new fuck toy, and ABC Lending will rocket to the top of the international finance scene! I'll be richer than Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and the Queen of England combined!" Logan laughed, appearing quite deranged. Kanou just shook his head in disgust, and tears began to stream down Ayase's face. It was all over.

Shame that no one noticed the fourth person sneaking into the room...

To Be Continued

Author's Comments:

And Logan Truss's true intentions are finally revealed. He really is a crazy fucker, isn't he? As it was, this chapter was pretty painful to write. This kind of scene is not what I am best at writing, and I didn't want it to get _too_ graphic. Plus, getting the right level of batshit insanity for Logan is really hard. He's always either too bonkers or not crazy enough, which throws everything out of balance.

Totally unrelated to this story, but the Kaboom Clan is one member larger as of 3.3.10! My newest cousin is doing pretty well, and he's absolutely adorable!

-Kaboom


	12. Chapter 12

_Text in Italics is spoken in English. _

Chapter Twelve

While Logan was busy laughing his ass off about how well his plans were turning out (despite the small setback of Sharon Gray still being alive), Kanou was glaring furiously, trying to think of a way to retrieve Ayase without putting him in any more danger, another person crept into the room.

"_I don't understand very much Japanese,"_ the newcomer said, "_but it doesn't take a genius to figure out what's going on here. I would let that boy go if I were you, Truss." _

_ "Mr. Hughes?"_ Kanou asked, surprised.

"_Why should I, old man?"_ Logan snarled. "_You can't shoot me unless you want to shoot this one."_ He pointed menacingly to Ayase, grinning, convinced that having the young man at his mercy like this would protect him.

"_I'm not going to shoot you, it would be a waste of a bullet,"_ Mr. Hughes said. "_But I will shock you."_ Before Logan had a chance to react, the old man reached into a jacket pocket, pulled out a stun gun, and zapped the corrupt businessman. He howled and let go of Ayase, who ran hurriedly to Kanou's side.

"_You bastard, I thought you were on my side! Our companies are intertwined!"_ Logan hollered. "_You've ruined yourself, old man! I'll tell everyone I know to stop doing business with you! You'll be on the street in weeks!" _

_ "Really now?" _Hughes asked, amusement obvious in his eyes. "_I'm not the one who stole the identities of babies to take out fraudulent loans. I'm not the one who shot ordered his henchman to shoot an unarmed woman. I'm not the one who raped an innocent boy... in fact, I have proof that it wasn't me! Or Mr. Somuku, or Ms. Gray, or Osama bin Laden. It was all you!" _

_ "You can't possibly have proof,"_ Logan snarled. "_We shot Sharon before she had managed to find the files that would be problematic for us." _Everyone in the room watched in shock as the elderly man waved a manila folder right under the bastard's nose. Logan's eyes widened as he made a grab for the folder, only to be zapped again with the stun gun.

"_I'm sure that the NYPD, and the FBI, not to mention the Secret Service will be very interested in these papers," _Hughes said. "_In fact, they're already on their way here." _He turned to Kanou and Ayase, and took off his suit jacket. He handed it to Ayase. "_Use that to cover yourself until you can get some real pants,"_ he said. Kanou, still amazed that the old man could save the day like that, translated for Ayase, who gratefully accepted.

"Th-thank you very much," he said quietly. Once again, Kanou translated, causing the old man to wave his hands dismissively.

"_Think nothing of it, dear boy. Although he should go to the hospital- they'll need the DNA evidence from Logan that he left behind, as disgusting as it is. They've already taken my niece," _he replied sadly.

"Sharon?" Ayase paled. "Is she alright?" Kanou translated the question, once again, and Hughes sighed.

"_Hopefully. But she's a strong girl. Sharon isn't the issue at hand. Son, you're going to need to go to the hospital. Mr. Somuku, can you make that clear to him?" _

"_He's not going anywhere!" Logan snarled, coming to his senses after the shocks. "He's staying here, and the two of you are going to die here! You won't get away with this!" _

_ "That's my line, motherfucker," _Kanou replied, before shooting Logan in both arms. The man yelped in pain, swearing obnoxiously. Hughes just turned to the two of them.

"_You focus on getting Mr. Yukiya to the hospital,"_ he told Kanou. "_I'll watch this guy until the police show up." _

_

* * *

_

Even though Kanou would have liked nothing more than to blast the slimeball into the next life, he wanted to see the man suffer at the hands of the justice system. Also, he didn't want to get deported back to Japan before he was sure that Ayase was going to be alright. He hated the idea of having to leave his lover alone in a foreign country, especially one where he didn't speak the dominant language. Ayase would be terrified, and completely alone. No, it was best for him to bide his time before he got his revenge. Once he was safely in prison and Ayase was recovered, there wasn't anything stopping him from taking Logan Truss out...

Kanou watched as Ayase was put into an ambulance and driven to the closest hospital. A few minutes later, Truss was marched out of the building in handcuffs. William Hughes had given the police the folder, explaining to them what it contained. Just as he had suspected, they were **very** interested. He sighed. What a night.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Ayase was being checked over. It was scaring him, the way that the doctores were talking in English, in hushed tones, and casting glances at him.

"_Poor boy... to have to experience something like that..." _

_ "What kind of monster would prey on a defenseless person like that? Why, he doesn't even speak any English! He probably had no idea what was happening to him."_

_ "Hopefully the STD tests will come back negative." _

While all of this was going on, Kanou was wandering the halls of the hospital, looking for Ayase. Finally, when he found a nurse checking over a clipboard in the hallway, he approached him and growled, _"What room is Ayase Yukiya being kept in?" _

_ "Sir, Ayase Yukiya is part of an ongoing investigation into a rape case," _the nurse replied, as calmly as he could with an angry Kanou bearing down on him. "_We can't allow anyone to see him." _

_ "I'm his interpreter!" _Kanou yelled, telling a half-truth. "_He can't speak English! How do you expect to get any evidence or information from him if he can't understand anything anyone asks him?" _The nurse looked around nervusly, then beckoned Kanou to follow him.

"_If he doesn't want to see you, though, you're going back to the waiting room." _

To Be Continued

Author's Comments:

Fun fact: the Secret Service (yes, the people who protect the president) actually have jurisdiction over identity theft cases. Although I don't know how many cases actually go to them- most identity theft cases seem to be handled by credit card companies or banks now. But the Secret Service is supposed to take cases of fraud, which includes identity theft.

I'm sitting in a coffee shop right now, and people keep walking behind me while I'm typing. It's quite irritating, honestly.

-Kaboom


	13. Chapter 13

_Text in Italics is spoken in English. _

Chapter Thirteen

Of course, Ayase was extremely grateful to finally see Kanou. So was the harried-looking doctor. "_You know this young man? Thank god, we don't have anyone here on this shift who can speak Japanese. Can you translate for us? We're going to need to have him able to understand us so that we can tell him what will need to happen now." _

_ "Yes,"_ Kanou replied abruptly. "_But tell me- is he going to be alright?" _

_ "Your friend was very lucky in one regard,"_ The doctor said, carefully wording his sentence. "_In cases like these, it is very common for the victim to have internal tearing. Your friend only experienced a minimal amount of tissue damage. But I'm afraid that he might not have been so lucky in another way." _

_ "What do you mean?"_ Kanou asked suspiciously, looking from the doctor to Ayase's terrified and confused face. The doctor nervously shifted from foot to foot, looking like he would rather be anywhere but in that room. He always hated having to tell families and friends of the patients bad news... and this guy didn't look like he would take it particularly well.

"_Well..."_ he began, stalling for time. "_There's a chance... a chance your friend contracted syphilis. It's too early to tell, however. I'm afraid that your friend will not be able to return to Japan until we can give him a clean bill of health." _

_ "WHAT?"_ Kanou roared, causing Ayase to jump in fright and the doctor to shrink back. He took Ayase's hands in his own to comfort him, but it didn't help much, not when he began yelling at the doctor. _"What makes you think he got an STD? Can't you treat it right now? If he dies, I'll kill you all!" _

_ "We've already administered an anti-biotic, and like I said, it's too early to tell. He might not even have contracted it in the first place," _the doctor said quietly. "_It's just that two weeks ago, Logan Truss came here complaining of chancre sores on his genitals, however, he received a phone call and ran out of here before we had a chance to test him. If indeed he had it, and your friend was infected, it could be anywhere from a week to a month before the sores show up. In light of this, it's best if your friend stays here until we can pronounce him cured. Also, it's the police chief's feeling that Mr. Yukiya here get psychiatric treatment. As we speak, someone in the psychiatric ward is trying to find a doctor who speaks Japanese. It's quite likely that Mr. Yukiya could develop post-traumatic stress disorder." _

_ "Post-traumatic stress disorder?"_ Kanou's voice was deadly calm. _"You're worried about post-traumatic stress disorder right now? Shouldn't you be focusing on treating the disease?" _

_ "Like I s aid," _the doctor replied, _"we don't know. We certainly will do our best to make sure that he's healthy." _

"What's happening?" Ayase asked, panic creeping into his voice. "Can I leave yet? What's happening?"

"Ayase." Kanou seemed calm, but even Ayase could hear the slight tremor behind it. "I want you to know that no matter what happens, no matter what you might have, I love you." I love you. It wasn't every day that Ayase heard those words, even from Kanou. He opened his mouth to respond. Evidently, however, he didn't know a way to respond to that, because he didn't actually say anything. Kanou squeezed his hand reassuringly. "The doctors say that you might have contracted syphilis." At that, Ayase began to cry softly. It wasn't fair, he though. Why was it that hundreds of millions of other people could go to New York and not end up in a situation like this? Why was it that no matter where he went, he became a target? It was tempting to blame Kanou's involvement, but if he stepped back from the situation long enough, Ayase could see that this had been a pattern long before his life with Kanou began.

"Am I going to die?" he finally hiccuped.

"No, you're not!" Kanou said fiercely. "You might not even have it in the first place. The doctors have already given you anti-biotics, so if you were infected, it's already being fought." He sighed, unwilling to say the next part. How would Ayase take it? "But the doctors want to keep you here until they can be sure you are not infected, or no longer infected." Ayase lowered his eyes.

"Alright," he whispered. He, Kanou, and the doctor all sat in silence for a while, and then Ayase spoke again. "Is Sharon going to be OK?"

Kanou was tempted to respond with "who cares?" After all, it was her fault in the first place. If she hadn't decided to try the suicidally stupid plan to get the paperwork that would reveal that she was being cheated. If she had just waited, or at least not tried to use them as a distraction, none of this would have happened. But to put Ayase's mind at ease, he asked the doctor how she was.

"_The shooting victim?"_ the doctor replied. "_She should be in surgery right about now." _

_ "Surgery?"_

_ "Well, they have to get the bullet out of her somehow." _Kanou immediately paled. When he had last spoken to her, she had seemed about as well as someone bleeding all over the floor could. She hadn't said anything about the bullet still being inside of her.

"_Where is her room?"_ Kanou asked sharply. The doctor looked taken aback. What was this guy's issue? The doctor briefly allowed the thought that this guy needed a psychiatrist more than Mr. Yukiya, but didn't say anything.

"_Room 912,"_ he answered. Kanou leaned down to give Ayase a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"I shouldn't be gone more than half an hour," he promised. "Try to get some rest now."

* * *

The ninth floor of the hospital, however, proved to be quite a bit creepier than the rest of the place. It seemed to have bad lighting circuitry, as the lights flickered on and off, and the floor was dimmer than the rest of the building. The light did not seem to penetrate into the darker corners of this floor. On his way to find Sharon, he passed an ashen-faced, glassy-eyed woman staring blankly at a television screen in a sort of common area. He passed a seemingly infinte number of beeping medical devices, and every so often, he would cries of pain from the rooms he walked by.

When he found room 912, he noticed it was closed up tight and with no nameplate on the door. While he stood there wondering what could have happened to Sharon, a nurse approached him.

"_Excuse me, sir, can I help you?" _

_ "Where is the woman that was in this room?"_ Kanou asked.

"_Considering that she's dead, most likely in the morgue,"_ the nurse replied indifferently. Kanou felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.

_"Dead?"_ he whispered. The nurse shrugged.

_"Yeah, apparently she passed about an hour ago. Not surprising, honestly. She was in terrible shape when they brought her in." _

_ "How did she die?"_ Kanou felt stupid for asking. Sharon had been shot. Any idiot would know that was how she died. Still, he felt he had to ask. Again, the nurse shrugged.

"_Meth is a hell of a drug... that woman had pretty classic symptoms of an overdose."_ As horrible as it was, Kanou couldn't help but feel some relief. There was no chance that Sharon would have died of a drug overdose, unless she somehow managed to get ahold of something since she was shot. There was a chance she was still alive.

_"I think I must have the room wrong,"_ Kanou managed to keep his voice steady. "_The woman I am looking for was shot, not on drugs. I was told she was in this room."_

"_Oh, you mean that finance lady? She was moved to the psychiatric ward after his surgery was finished. Doctor thinks she's likely to attempt suicide... she kept screaming about how it was all her fault, how she should have been the one to die." _Kanou shuddered. Suicide? Sharon might be a lot of things, but he'd never though she would attempt to take her own life, no matter how badly she had screwed up. He might have been very upset with her, but he didn't think she should kill herself...

"_Where is that?"_ He asked harshly. The nurse looked at him, and unreadable expression on her face.

"_Sixth floor. I don't know room though." _

_ "That doesn't matter,"_ Kanou replied. _"Thank you." _

To Be Continued


	14. Chapter 14

_Text in Italics is spoken in English. _

Chapter Fourteen

Ayase was terrified. Kanou was gone, and all of these medical professionals were hovering around him, clucking and speaking to each other in English, and occasionally shooting worried glances at him. Even more frightening for him was the fact that he couldn't understand a single word they were saying. What if they were trying to communicate to him that he was dying? What if they were trying to tell him that he had an even more horrific STD, one that could not be cured, or what if the doctors were in collusion with Logan Truss and intended to take him back, to where that monster was?

"_You're going to be fine, don't worry," _a nurse said, thinking that her words would help Ayase calm down, but they just had the opposite effect. Because of the language barrier, she just scared Ayase even more.

"Please, Kanou-san," he thought desperately. "Come back soon..."

* * *

"Don't start, Somuku," Sharon rasped from her hospital bed. She had been dozing slightly when the Japanese businessman entered her room, but immediately woke up when she realized she had company.

"What I want to know," Kanou demanded, ignoring her, "is why you want to kill yourself! What are you thinking?" Sharon just laughed bitterly.

"I'm dying, Somuku," she said. "Both physically and emotionally. Because of me, Ayase almost died, and I'm almost dead from the bullets. Besides, you don't want me alive anyway. It will work in your favor if I'm out of the picture, see?"

"What do you mean?" Kanou asked suspiciously.

"Didn't you know? Upon my death everything I own becomes yours." Kanou stared at her, not really comprehending what he was hearing. Sharon had left her property to him? "Oh, don't act so surprised," she said weakly. "I have no living relatives and I've never had a child. You should be happy that you're the one receiving my shit."

"You're thirty-eight years old!" Kanou exclaimed. "You still have the rest of your life..."

"Oh, stop bitching," Sharon replied. "My life... well, I'd be more worried about Yukiya-san. I heard the doctors talking. Syphilis, huh? I always knew Logan Truss was a manwhore, but I guess I never knew the extend." Suddenly, Kanou remembered the real reason that he had come to see the dying woman- not to talk her out of taking her own life, but to discuss Ayase.

"I did not know you were aware of that," he said coldly. "And you do realize that it is your fucking fault, right?"

"Have you listened to a word I said?" Sharon replied, as indignantly as she could. "Somuku, none of this would have happened if I hadn't been so eager to prove that my company was clear of any wrongdoing. Yukiya-san would be perfectly safe and happy, and I wouldn't be responsible for everything that has happened tonight."

The two of them sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Sharon felt nothing but cold despair. Ayase was ill and traumatized because of her. The side where she had been shot was going numb. Though she was not a doctor, she was very sure that her nerves were dying. Though, in a sense, she was at peace, knowing that if she passed on, Kanou would use the money she had bequeathed to him to care for Ayase. Even though she had only known him for a few days, she had become quite attached to the blonde, and she was glad that if she died her money would go to help care for him.

Kanou was torn between blind fury and a strange sort of sympathy. He would honestly like nothing better than to beat the shit out of the idiotic woman for her stupid scheme, but at the same time, he saw how devastated she was. She was taking the news of Ayase's diagnosis almost as hard as he himself, and she herself hadn't escaped from the disaster unscathed. Kanou could tell that she was absolutely convinced that she was going to die, although whether or not she had a full grip on reality at the moment was up for debate. The nurse back on the other floor had said that she was almost delusional... how much of this was actually Sharon, and how much of this was the result of trauma, or medication?

Even though she was in despair, however, Sharon knew there was something that had to be done. "Somuku."

"Yes?"

"If I do not survive, can I ask you to do something for me?"

"It depends on what it is," Kanou replied, slightly suspicious. Sharon smirked.

"I think you would be willing to do this," she said. "If I don't survive, I won't be able to do this myself. But I want to see Logan Truss suffer. I would like you to video tape it, and play it in front of my grave. Maybe from wherever I am I'll be able to see it, and maybe then I will be able to rest in peace." Kanou stared at her.

"You're crazy," he said. "You're asking me to kill one of the most powerful men in America, and then video tape it? You do realize that's an equally terrible idea, right? I'll be the one in prison then!"

"I know you want to get revenge on him for touching Ayase," Sharon laughed. "And I didn't necessarily mean that. He's pissed off a lot of people, and I'm pretty sure that the majority of people who are in the same prison as him will have had dealings with him, and come off the worse for it. He has many enemies, you know. All I'm asking you to do is video tape the news segments where he gets what's coming to him and then play them for me. Although if you want to take care of him yourself, that's fine too."

To Be Continued

Author's Comments:

I would have posted this earlier, but I went to a conference for two days, and had horrible Internet access. Google took about five minutes to load, so I didn't try to do much other than check my email. Oh, and the coffee shop kicked me out after a while, anyway. But other than, I had a decent time. One complaint, though? It was packed, and it was also held in a very expensive shopping district. That meant that at meal times, everyone stormed the fancy restaurants at once, so we ended up waiting two hours for some overpriced, mediocre food. Oh well.

Just to let you know, we're coming up on the end of this story. I have three more chapters planned, although that number may go up one or two. Maybe.

-Kaboom


	15. Chapter 15

_Text in Italics is spoken in English. _

Chapter Fifteen

Kanou and Sharon spent a while discussing their options, until a nurse showed up to shoo Kanou away. "_Ms. Gray, it's time to take your medicine," _she said, saccharine-sweet.

"_But I took the Codeine three hours ago! I'm feeling alright, I don't need any more pain medicine."_ Sharon was clearly confused. The nurse looked at her, any pretense of sweetness gone and replaced with plain irritation.

"_Your __**new**__ medication,"_ she said, putting emphasis on the word "new." Sharon groaned.

"I don't need Olanzapine! I'm not psychotic!" she cried in Japanese, more for Kanou's benefit than anything else, although annoying the nurse may have also been one of her motives. Kanou shrugged. It was about time for him to get back to Ayase, anyway.

"_Have a good night,"_ he said politely to both women. The nurse acknowledged his well-wishes with a nod of her head. Sharon just flipped him the bird. He just rolled his eyes. There was no point in getting angry at her behavior. It was just par for the course lately,

* * *

When he returned to Ayase's room, Kanou found that the small man had been given a sedative and was sleeping peacefully. Even in a hospital bed, Kanou thought Ayase looked angelic when he slept. Gently, he brushed a stray hair from his lover's sleeping face, tucking it behind his hear. Ayase moved closer to the warm hand, mumbling in his sleep.

"Sleep tight, Ayase," Kanou whispered, wishing that they were safely back in their hotel room. Or even better, back in Japan.

Sighing, the business man dragged himself over to a rather threadbare chair in the corner of the room and collapse into it, exhaustion finally hitting him like an oncoming train. In the past fifteen hours, more had happened than usually happened in a month. Even when he was at the height of his lending activities in Japan, nothing like this ever happened in such quick succession. It didn't take long before Kanou fell asleep himself, fitfully dreaming of funerals, grave sites, and ghosts. Two ghosts, to be exact: one female and nearing middle age, and the other a young male in his late teens. They had no faces, but Kanou could easily tell who they were supposed to represent. Neither one spoke, but he could tell that the both of them were judging him silently, wishing that he had done more to save them.

- - - - -

Weeks passed. After two, Ayase was given a clean bill of health and allowed to return to the hotel, although he had to come in every other day to meet with Dr. Ootsuka, the psychiatrist that the hospital had found that spoke Japanese. He seemed to be making great progress. Dr. Ootsuka was easily able to identify Ayase's condition as post-traumatic stress disorder, and gave him a prescription for Sertraline, which would help to calm his anxieties. Ayase was gradually becoming more talkative and more willing to go outside.

When he had first been released from the hospital, Ayase had locked himself inside the hotel room bathroom, refusing to come out. When the maids came to clean the room, he simply told them to come back later. After a day or so of this, though, Ayase finally felt that it was safe enough to spend time in the rest of the hotel room, and did so. However, he was extremely wary of everything and everyone, even Kanou. It irritated Kanou, honestly, but he could understand Ayase's sudden paranoia. After all, it had happened before, and that time, it had actually been his fault. Now Ayase was wary of him, just because he was still trying to recover from a trauma.

As soon as Ayase felt well enough to go back out, Kanou took him back to the hospital to talk with his doctor. Dr. Ootsuka advised Kanou not to rush Ayase into anything, though if he started developing agoraphobia, more steps might need to be taken to make sure that Ayase would be ready to return home. And in turn, Kanou began speaking to the doctor about the dreams he had been having. The ghost dreams had not gone away, and instead increased in intensity. Some nights the female ghost would be bleeding from a gunshot wound, reaching out her hand to Kanou for help. Other times, the male ghost would be lying in a pool of fluid (Kanou preferred not to think about what the fluid was), unmoving. Sometimes in the dream, the two of them would be standing together, exuding a cloud of hopelessness and anger. Those dreams were the worst- Kanou would wake up terrified that Ayase had tried something drastic. So far he hadn't, but the thought was enough to terrify Kanou.

"You're dealing with a traumatic event as well," the doctor had explained. "You were not directly targeted, but you saw what happened to both Sharon Gray and Yukiya Ayase. It's no wonder that you're having nightmares about it. You probably felt helpless in both situations."

While talking about it helped, Kanou knew that he was probably going to feel some responsibility for what happened that night for the rest of his life. After almost three weeks of talking to the doctor, however, the dreams gradually slowed and eventually stopped. Around the same time, Ayase started to want to go out and do things again. Exactly five weeks after that fateful night, Kanou and Ayase went to the Central Park Zoo, enjoying the nice sunshine and festive atmosphere of the area. Once again, Ayase began to smile happily.

Sharon was recovering as well. Her gunshot wound was almost completely healed, however, her habit of escaping from the psychiatric ward, looking for Ayase, did not do a whole lot towards convincing the doctors in charge of her that she was sane enough to be released into society. Not that she wanted to be, anyway. She knew that as soon as she got out of the hospital, she would likely be arrested. "Whatever," she would think to herself. "As long as Yukiya-san is alright, I don't really care."

* * *

"Somuku-san, I'm pleased to inform you that Ayase is healthy enough to return to Japan," Dr. Ootsuka said. Ayase beamed. Finally, he was going to be able to go home. The other doctor, however, didn't look as happy.

"_What did you say?" _he asked Dr. Ootsuka. She repeated what she had said.

"_Mr. Yukiya will be able to return home as soon as possible." _

_ "No, he can't, actually. Mr. Yukiya's testimony will be wanted in court, regarding what happened. Naturally, he will have to stay here for that, since it isn't possible for someone to telecommute to court. Also, a law enforcement official wants to question him about his involvement with Vector Financial. Have you heard about that?"_ the other doctor asked, abruptly changing topics.

"_What about Vector Financial?"_ Kanou asked guardedly, not wanting to give away too much.

"_Apparently ABC Lending was targeting Vector Financial by stealing identities and taking out fraudulent loans. You know the CEO? She got shot trying to find proof that they were cheating her, and she's in __**this very hospital**__,"_ the doctor said conspiratorially, as though he was imparting knowledge that only he knew. _"It's so shocking... you'd think that after Bernie Madoff these financial people would be a bit more careful, you know?" _

_ "What does the CEO of Vector Financial have anything to do with Ayase?"_ Kanou asked, doing his best not to give away his nervousness. The doctor looked at him in surprise.

"_Didn't you know? The man that allegedly raped your friend is in charge of ABC Lending! Why would he target someone that had nothing to do with the company he hated? I know __**you**_ _have ties to Sharon Gray. I'm willing to bet that your friend does too." _Kanou just gave a noncommittal 'harrumph" and turned his back, waiting for the doctors to finish checking over Ayase. He really didn't want to get into a discussion about what had happened that night, and how Ayase had gotten into that situation in the first place.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a different part of the hospital, Sharon Gray was mindlessly flipping through television channels, trying to find something interesting to watch. Why was it that daytime television was so... lousy? There was only so much Judge Judy a woman could watch without getting bored, you know, and Sharon definitely wasn't about to watch any more annoying talk shows.

So when she found a news station featuring a large crowd of police officers and news officials outside a prison, she didn't particularly want to watch that. She would have honestly preferred to not think about where she might be going if she ever got better. But something made her pause.

"_Here we are at the correctional facility where Logan Truss was killed last night. Truss was the CEO of the embattled ABC Lending financial company, and was being held on charges of identity fraud, attempted murder, rape, racketeering, and conspiracy. Truss was killed after being savagely beaten by other inmates, supposedly in a revenge attack. Four of the prisoners are currently being questioned regarding the incident." _

Sharon blinked. Logan Truss was dead? Well. That hadn't taken long at all. She had expected that the bastard would hang around until he was 102, and would probably be released for good behavior in four or five years. She never would have guessed that he would die in prison...

She had to contact Kanou and Ayase somehow, and let them know that they could return to Japan without having to worry about being summoned to appear in court or give testimony against him. He was dead. You can't put a dead man on trial.

Quickly, she looked around to make sure that the hallway around her room was clear of hospital personnel. Once she decided that it was safe to go, she took off, running down the hallway in her bare feet and hospital gown. She was going to find them.

* * *

Kanou and Ayase were about to leave the hospital when they heard a loud shout. "_MS. GRAY! PLEASE, CONTROL YOURSELF!" _

_ "GODDAMMIT!" _a very familiar voice yelled. "_AT LEAST LET ME USE THE DAMN PHONE! I NEED TO MAKE A PHONE CALL!"_ Both of the men stood rooted to the spot, watching in horrified amusement as Sharon came running around the corner, apparently looking desperately for a phone. "_IF YOU WOULD GIVE ME MY MOBILE PHONE BACK, I WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THIS! I NEED TO CALL- _Somuku!" she abruptly cut herself off. "_Look, I need to talk to that guy right there." _The doctor chasing her just sighed and turned to Kanou.

"_I apologize if this woman has been bothering you, she keeps saying that she needs to make an important phone call. Don't mind her, she's probably off her medication."_

_ "I actually do know this woman, sir," _Kanou replied politely. "_And I think I'd like to hear what she has to say." _Sharon smiled gratefully at him.

"Somuku, Yukiya-san. I just saw on the news. Logan Truss is dead. You guys can go home if you want."

To Be Continued


	16. Chapter 16

_Text in Italics is spoken in English. _

Chapter Sixteen

For a few moments, Kanou and Ayase stared at the woman, pure shock present on their faces. And it wasn't as though anyone could really blame them... the whole situation was pretty ridiculous. Two people in the hospital for a final visit to a psychiatrist run into an escaped, critically injured woman ranting and raving about how the person who got them all into this mess was dead. To break the silence, Kanou said the only thing he could think of. "How did you get out of the straight-jacket?" he quipped. Sharon scowled.

"Ha ha, Somuku. Very funny. I thought the both of you might want to know that Logan Truss is dead," she repeated.

It took a little longer for Ayase to process the information, not that anyone could really blame him. Once the full implications of Sharon's statement hit him, though, he reacted immediately. "Eeeh?"

"What the fuck did you do?" Kanou added on the heels of Ayase's reaction. He wasn't really sure what to make of this. It was almost too weird... such a coincidence. It had only been a few weeks since Truss had carried out his reprehensible act- how was it possible that justice had been served already? Had one of Sharon's subordinates decided to take justice into their own hands? Hell, had _Sharon_ decided to take justice into her own hands? It honestly wouldn't surprise him... someone with enough energy to escape and run around the hospital like a madwoman in search of a phone was probably capable of sneaking out and killing the person who had damaged her so badly.

"I didn't do anything," Sharon replied, a slow smirk spreading all over her face. "Apparently some people in the prison thought Logan Truss was an evil bastard too, and decided to extract a bit of revenge."

"So does that mean that there will stil be a trial?" Ayase asked curiously.  
"I don't know. They can't very well put a dead guy on trial, but I may have to face a judge for breaking and entering," the woman replied. "But even if I do, the most I'll probably have to do is pay a fine and do some community service. I have good lawyers, see? I'll most likely just end up giving talks at schools about personal finance or something stupid like that as my punishment." Suddenly, an angry-looking doctor stepped into the room and started yelling.

"_MS. GRAY! Everyone's been looking for you! Please, come back! You weren't supposed to leave your room!" _

_ "Yeah, yeah,"_ Sharon grumbled, following the doctor out anyway despite her protests. "I'll see you soon, Yukiya-san! Come visit when you get the chance!"

Once she was gone, most likely returned to her room and put under strict supervision, Kanou turned to Ayase with a small smile. "Well, that was... interesting," he said. "I'm sure that you're relieved that you're healthy, free from disease, and the psychiatrists say you'll recover." Much to Kanou's surprise, tears started leaking from Ayase's eyes. Shouldn't he be happy about the fact that he was healthy? "Are you alright?" he asked in concern. Ayase nodded weakly, still silently crying.

"It's just... I don't- I don't know what to think," he finally managed to choke out. "Sh-sharon's business will be OK... b-but at such... a price, I can't help... was it worth it?" He was having trouble articulating his thoughts, but at least Kanou knew what he was trying to say.

"I'm never going to forgive her for putting you into a position where you were in danger," Kanou growled. Ayase shook his head.

"That's not it," he whispered. "It's not like that's never happened to me before... no, Sharon got shot. Do you think she'll be alright?" Kanou nodded, feeling guilty at Ayase's words. After all, he had been the first person to violate Ayase in such a manner, and even now, the blonde held no ill will towards him. Instead, he was worried more about the well-being of the person who's behavior got him into that unpleasent situation in the first place. But he swallowed his guilt, turning to Ayase to reassure him.

"Sharon is going to be just fine," he said firmly. "She's survived a lot more than simply being shot. That woman is like a cockroach- you could drop a nuclear bomb on her and she would just get back up. Probably get nuclear superpowers and try to take over the world, too." Ayase grinned a little bit. He could just picture the American woman crawling out from the ruins of her building, glowing with newfound powers, laughing maniacally and planning to take over the world. Disturbingly, he could completely see that as a plausible doomsday scenario... and he would be very surprised if the overbearing woman didn't succeed.

Once again, though, a doctor entered the room. "_Oh, good. I take it Sharon Gray found you two? She had something very important to tell you... might have been to do with the fact that your attacker is dead, Mr. Yukiya. He was killed last night in prison." _

_ "Yes, she told us already," _Kanou answered smoothly. The doctor nodded, looking contemplative.

"_So that's what she mean by that..."_ he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. _"Whatever. Anyway, we're discharging you, Mr, Yukiya. You're free to go." _Kanou smiled broadly.

"Ayase, they're letting you go," he explained in Japanese, once he caught sight of the blonde's confused expression.

"Oh. Really!?"

It didn't take long before the necessary paperwork was filled out and Kanou and Ayase were in a taxi, slowly crawling through the New York traffic.

"Ayase," Kanou said after a long pause of silence. "We're probably going back to Japan tomorrow if you want. I understand if you never want to come back. I'm sorry you didn't get to see more of the city, and had such a miserable time here."

"I'd like that," Ayase replied, placing a hand on Kanou's shoulder. "But will it be alright for you to leave so soon? I thought you were needed here to help Sharon." Kanou just snorted.

"She'll be fine. The biggest threat to her is gone. Yeah, she'll probably have legal trouble, but like she said, she has good lawyer. Besides, I already told you- she's basically indestructible."

* * *

The next day, the two of them were back on a plane to Tokyo-Narita International Airport. Out of respect for Ayase's feelings, Kanou kept his hands off the entire flight, instead choosing to watch some weird British soap opera dubbed into Japanese.

Ayase, on the other hand, took advantage of the time to sleep. Kanou couldn't blame him. He had gotten plenty of sleep the night before back in their luxurious hotel room, but the older man could tell that his lover was struggling with mental exhaustion. So much had happened in the past few weeks that it was a goddamn miracle that Ayase hadn't passed out from the sheer stress of it all.

Soon enough, the plane was touching down, and Kanou gently woke Ayase. "Come on," he said quietly. "Let's go home."

To Be Completed

Author's Comments:

Yes, the next chapter is the last one. Thanks everyone for reading all the way through so far!

To be perfectly honest, I think this chapter is utter shit, but I honestly couldn't think of a better way to bridge into the final chapter, where Kanou and Ayase are finally at home, and the last loose ends are tied up. I don't know... I feel like it could be better, but at the same time, I don't know how to make it better, and it pisses me off.

Overall, though, I have to say that I've had a lot of fun writing this story. I like Sharon, although I kind of feel that she kind of took over. That wasn't my original intention- she was just supposed to sort of be background, but ended up having a larger role than I intended. But I think it turned out alright... at least, I hope it did.

Anyway, thank you for reading!

-Kaboom


	17. Chapter 17

_Text in Italics is spoken in English _

Chapter Seventeen

-Two Weeks Later-

Since they had returned to Japan, Kanou and Ayase had been trying their hardest to get back to their usual routine, but it was difficult. Ayase was still averse to touch (not that Kanou could really blame him) and was still having trouble sleeping. He was also taking a while to get over his jet lag. Kanou was trying to rid himself of the memories of that horrible trip, and threw himself into his work. Although, if anyone asked him why he was working so hard, he would deny the fact.

One thing that had kept them both busy, however, was watching Sharon's court battle on satellite television. Just like Kanou had said, she had good lawyers, and it didn't take much effort to get the jury to clear her of all charges. As soon as she exited the courthouse, she paused to give a short speech to the reporters that had gathered outside.

"_I have some things to say, so everyone shut the-" _here a loud beep was superimposed over her actual language- "_up. Since I really don't feel like being known as an evil, money-grubbing liar, anyone who's identity was stolen to take out a fraudulent loan from my company is off the hook. Don't worry about paying it back, you're clear. Hell, I don't even want it back!" _Loud chattering broke out among the assembled group, but the businesswoman put up her hand to stop the noise. "_That said, there are two people who I need to offer my thanks and apologies to. They left before I was let out of the hospital, and I can't say I blame them. I haven't been the best hostess. Actually, I haven't been the best person lately, and it's my fault that they were hurt. Kanou Somuku and Ayase Yukiya saved my life, and I don't even have the first idea as to how to repay them. Hell, they're probably not even watching this, and I know this is nowhere near enough to make up for what they did for me, but I'd like to take this opportunity to invite them to my summer home in Florida." _

Kanou's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. Ayase looked at him in alarm. "What did she say?" he asked. Kanou just shook his head.

"I never thought she would do anything like it... she just admitted responsibility for what happened. She actually put the blame on herself. Oh, and she invited us to Florida," he replied, still having difficulty processing the information.

"Really?" Ayase asked, his eyes widening as well.

"We are not going to Florida," Kanou stated firmly. "Did you already forget what happened the last time you went to America? And if Sharon is there, nothing good can come of it." Ayase must have looked slightly disappointed, because Kanou suddenly gathered him up in his arms. "But I know a way that will make Florida feel like you got invited to go to the convenience store." Ayase squeaked in alarm when he realized that Kanou was taking him to the bedroom.

"I won't do anything distasteful to you," Kanou promised, kissing Ayase gently as he set him on the bed. Carefully, he pulled off the blonde's pants and boxers, discarding them to one side. He admired the view for a moment before he bent down and engulfed Ayase's penis with his mouth. The small man arched and cried out. OK. He had definitely not been expecting that.

"K-kanou-san," he gasped out, the assault on his senses almost too much to bear, but in a good way. Kanou just grinned around his lover and prodded Ayase's very tip with his tongue. He felt vindicated when Ayase gave the most delicious little mewls, and he savored the taste of the precum that flooded his mouth. God, why did Ayase always taste so damn good?

It did not take long for Ayase to reach orgasm, spilling everything he had into Kanou's mouth. Kanou eagerly gulped it down, before getting fully on the bed and lying next to Ayase.

"You didn't..." the blonde began.

"Don't start," Kanou said shortly. "I did that because I wanted to. It's too soon for me to go any further." Ayase nodded, albeit slowly. It was always awkward when Kanou did things like that for him- it was such a nice thing, but he felt like he was violating some unwritten code of how lovers were supposed to interact with each other. After all, wasn't the principle of reciprocity what most good relationships were based on?

Kanou, on the other hand, faced no such dilemma. He wasn't a beast, he didn't plan to completely take Ayase until the blonde was fully recovered from his ordeal. When Ayase was no longer sitting bolt upright in the bed they shared at 2:00 in the morning, screaming bloody murder while trying to fight off imaginary assailants, then he would once again have proper sex with Ayase. Until then, he would settle for getting Ayase off, getting him used to touch once again.

The two of them lay there in peaceable silence for a while, until Kanou's cell phone rang. Muttering furiously, he flipped it open.

"What the fuck do you want?" he snarled.

"Temper, temper," came Sharon's taunting voice from the other end of the line. "I take it I interrupted your 'special time' with Yukiya-san?" She took Kanou's stony silence to be an affirmative response, and just laughed. "I trust that you saw the television coverage of the court proceedings? I hope you did."

"Yes..." Kanou replied cautiously.

"So then you'll know about my offer. I wasn't just saying that for the news networks, you know. I really would like for you and Yukiya-san to come to Florida."

"No," Kanou said shortly. "Not after what happened in New York. Do you really think I would expose Ayase to your insanity again?" He could hear Sharon laughing in the background, and a surge of anger rushed through him. Sharon might have a devil-may-care attitude most of the time, but seriously? She was being flippant about what happened in New York? The crazy bitch nearly got herself killed. Hell, she herself had been certain that she would die. And now she was just sitting there laughing about what happened?

"Such a shame," she sighed. "I can't leave New York for a while. I was hoping that I could have someone check up on my summer home and get some use out of it, since I can't. Anyone who stays here has access to my private beach, my Lamborghini, the wine cellar, my home theater system..." Sharon allowed her voice to trail off, and Kanou couldn't stop himself from smirking.

"So what you're saying is that we would have the whole place to ourselves?"

"Duh."

"I'm going to have to call you back, Sharon," Kanou said smugly, casting a glance in Ayase's direction.

"By all means," the businesswoman replied, unable to keep the laughter completely out of her voice. "I'm sure you have many things to, uh, **discuss**," she teased before hanging up the phone.

"So, Ayase," Kanou began. "How would you like to go to a private beach?"

End (Well, sort of)

Author's Comments:

I know I said this was going to be the last chapter, and it is, but I decided that there's going to be one more "extra" chapter at the beach. If you want to stop reading here, you're not missing anything important to the story, since technically, this is the end. But if you want to read the beach bit, it'll be up in a few days, assuming the exams don't kill me.

-Kaboom


	18. Bonus Chapter: Sharon's Sofa

Bonus Chapter: Sharon's Sofa

"Well, I've got to hand it to Sharon. She sure knows how to pick comfortable, if ridiculous, furniture. I'm going to enjoy this week... I think I'll take you in every room of this house!" Kanou laughed. He and Ayase had been in Sharon Gray's Florida beach house for all of twenty minutes, and the Japanese businessman was already planning the best way to ravish his blonde lover in the erotic new setting.

"Kanou-san!" Ayase squeaked, turning bright red. "We mustn't! This is Sharon's house! We can't do that in someone's house!" Kanou chuckled.

"Ayase, do you really think that Sharon has a problem with it? She invited us here, and she knows about the relationship between us," he said. "Besides, why else would have left a bottle of mint-chocolate flavored lube in the bathroom if she didn't want us to have sex?"

"Maybe it's hers?" Ayase suggested nervously.

"And it had a note on it telling us to enjoy it?" Kanou quirked an eyebrow. Ayase's blush deepened.

"Al...alright..."

"You don't have to look so stricken," Kanou moved behind Ayase and placed his hands on the blonde's shapely hips. "I'm going to make sure that this is one of the most pleasurable experiences of your life. It's time that you had a vacation that was a real vacation," he whispered, tongue flicking out to lick the shell of the blonde's ear. Ayase shivered under than man's masterful touch, allowing himself to be led to the highlighter yellow-colored sofa in the corner of the living room.

Kanou gently pushed his lover onto the soft plush upholstery of the sofa before covering the blonde's mouth with his own. He licked inside of Ayase's mouth, exploring the wet cavern, trying to memorize it. Ayase tentatively teased Kanou's tongue with his own, eliciting a growl.

"You're so fucking sexy, you know that?" he asked when they broke apart. Ayase just whimpered in response.

Before he really realized it, Ayase noticed that Kanou had somehow managed to get his shirt off, and he shivered as the slightly chilly air-conditioned air bit his exposed skin. A few moments later, he realized that Kanou had stopped touching him altogether, and was instead contemplating a bottle of something. "Kanou-san?" he asked shyly, wondering why the larger man had seemingly gotten distracted.

"You know, the lube Sharon left for us says that it has 'stimulating tingling action'- maybe we should try it out?" Without giving Ayase a chance to respond, Kanou squirted a tiny bit of the scented goo onto the tip of his finger and massaged it into one of Ayase's nipples. The response was instantaneous. Ayase mewled and shuddered, arching up.

"K-kanou-san, it feels weird!" he cried out. Kanou smirked. Damn, if a little bit of gel could get Ayase so excited he was going to need to get more of it... he made a mental note to later text Sharon and ask her where she got it from.

But right now he had more pressing matters to attend to. Kanou covered the nipple he had spread the gel on with his mouth. Ayase seemed to like that very much, crying out in ecstasy. It tasted weird... Kanou knew the lube was supposed to be mint-chocolate flavored, but it had a strange, obviously synthetic taste to it that made it almost unpleasant. And it did leave his tongue tingling... they really hadn't been kidding about that when they made the claim on the bottle.

Kanou shook his head. What was he doing? He could contemplate the need for the chemists to get the flavoring of the lube right later. He had a very aroused Ayase to worry about. So he gave the other little pink bud the saem treatment.

"Aaahn, Kanou-san!" Ayase moaned, writhing around, trying in vain to control his movements.

"Do you want more?" Kanou asked, tweaking a nipple while he waited for the blonde to collect himself enough to answer.

"Ye-yes," he panted out. That was all it took for Kanou to take pity on his smaller lover and take his pants off. He smirked hungrily at the sight of the blonde so lewdly on display in front of him.

"You know, for someone who was so opposed to the idea of having sex in this house, you're very horny," Kanou tased, feathering the tips of his fingers up and down Ayase's erection. Ayase rewarded him with a moan before attempting to give a sort of defense to his honor.

"B...but you're the one... aaaahn... who's doing this t-to me!" he managed to stammer out. Kanou laughed.

"Damn right. And don't forget that I'm the only one allowed to do this to you!" he growled.

Deciding that enough was enough, Kanou spread some more of the cool gel onto his fingers and forced one inside of Ayase's opening. The blonde cried out, not expecting the sudden intrusion. "Sssh, it'll be alright," Kanou whispered, wiggling the finger around to loosen Ayase up. Soon enough, he added his index finger, and scissored the two, strinking Ayase's prostate in the process.

When he decided that Ayase was stretched enough, Kanou withdrew from Ayase and coated his own cock liberally with the gel, and shuddered. Damn, that stuff was potent. The tingling sensation provided by the lubricant made his already erect penis even harder. He smeared a little of the gel onto Ayase's entrance to make sure that he would be as well-lubricated as possible. Without waiting any longer, the larger man pushed into the small blonde's body.

As soon as Ayase started to push back against him, Kanou began thrusting. By this time, he had been able to learn the ins and outs of Ayase's body, and it only took him a few thrusts before he struck his prostate dead-on. Ayase screeched in pleasure, arching off the sofa.

"K-kanou-san, please!" he begged, not really knowing what it was that he was begging for. Kanou, however, did, and continued to shove in and out of Ayase, reaching around to jerk him off.

He didn't last much longer. The double assault on his sense was too much to bear, and with a loud cry Ayase came all over Kanou's hand, some of the white liquid dripping onto the plush yellow fabric of the sofa. When Ayase's inner walls spasmed erratically around his own cock, Kanou fell over the edge as well and released everything he had inside of Ayase.

The two of them basked in the afterglow for a few minutes, until a piece of paper on the coffee table caught Kanou's eye. Curiously, he disengaged himself from Ayase and picked it up.

_Yo, Somuku-_ the note read. _I know that you and Yukiya-san are probably going to have sex in my house. I'm not stupid. Why do you think I left you the lube? But do know this- if you have sex on my furniture and get cum on it I'm going to kill you, especially if you get it on my yellow sofa. I fucking love that sofa, and it's the only one like it in the world. And unless you have 2.3 million dollars lying around, do not mess it up. If you do, you're going to regret it. _

_ Oh, by the way, tell Yukiya-san I say hi. _

_ 3 Sharon _

Kanou spared a glance at the still-panting Ayase, and realized with a jolt of horror in the pit of his stomach that, yes, they had had sex on the yellow sofa, and yes, they had gotten cum on it.

"Shit..." he muttered.

End!

Author's Comments:

Argh, I have an exam tomorrow and some guests are supposed to show up tonight, so I should be cramming, cleaning, and cooking all at once, but I really wanted to finish up this story, and I had the draft mostly done. I'm probably going to regret this later, but whatever.

So. _International Affairs _is finally done. To be honest, going in to this I wasn't really sure how well it would be received. After all, it is pretty different from my usual work, but I think it was worth it in the end. Also, if you like Sharon, she's from an original novel that I'm writing. As soon as I reach the halfway point I'll probably post it on Wattpad or something. Check my profile for updates.

Anyway, thank you all for reading, and I hope to see you again soon.

-GoesKaboom 5.5.10


End file.
